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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 3
HUNTING & FISHING IN ALABAMA & THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
CONTENTS Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout in the Surf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 by Captain Richard Rutland Utliizing Blinds for Tagging Out on Gobblers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 by Charles Johnson Fish Fillet Table Plans for Boats, Docks, and Portability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 by Joe Baya Tactics That Catch Spawning Crappie . . . . . 24 by John E. Phillips Spanish Mackerel Lures Bubble Rig Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 by David Thornton Byron South’s Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 by Joe Baya
In Every Issue
Cover art submitted By Paul Kacharos. Pictured: Case Kacharos,7, caught this slab crappie on the Warrior River while fishing with his dad. 4 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Best Bets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 by William Kendy New Gear for Outdoorsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 by William Kendy From the Commissioner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 by Chris Blakenship From the Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 by Charles Sykes The Gun Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 by Charles Haney Camphouse Kitchen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 by Hank Shaw Pier & Shore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 by David Thornton Paddle Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 by Ed Mashburn Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 by Mike Thompson Regional Freshwater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 by Ed Mashburn Prime Feeding Times, Moon, Sun, and Tide Charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Pensacola Motorsports Trophy Room. . . . . . 68 Great Days Kids Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Classifieds & Fishin‘ Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Fishing Tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 by Captain Dan Kolenich A Great Day Outdoors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 by Jim Mize
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This diverse tract has it all: fishing lake, paved road frontage, fenced and cross fenced pasture, duck pond, hayfields, merchantable timber, and 2 smaller ponds, all less than 45 minutes from Mobile or Daphne. LocatedTEXT between Stockton & Tensaw in the Latham PROPERTY HERE community, an area known for strong timber production and excellent deer, turkey, dove, quail, and duck hunting, enjoy easy access along Highway 59 or Old Ganey Road, an improved road system, a network of well-sized, strategically placed food plots with shooting houses, a 7 acre lake, 1 acre fish pond, 1 acre cattle pond with cross fencing, and a duck pond, merchantable stands of natural pine, plantation pine, and mature hardwood, and probably the rarest attribute of all for this area: 92 acres of income-producing agricultural land. Utilities are available at multiple locations along the abundant road frontage, and there are multiple scenic areas for building a lodge or permanent home. Large tracts are rarely available in this area... Don’t miss your chance to see this one.
Just Reduced! Homesite Development, Hunting, Timber Investment, or Farming conversion... This diverse tract near Dixons Mills and Hwy 10 can do it all. Enjoy PROPERTY easy access with frontage on Highway TEXT 43, ClayhillHERE Road, Dove Lane, and Laurel Lane. Power and water are available. Little Creek flows through the property, and there are several large potential lake sites. The flat topography and quality soils could allow this tract to be converted to agriculture. Timber includes merchantable pine, site prepped and planted pine, mature Hardwood SMZs, and natural timber. Located 2 hours from Mobile and 15 minutes from Thomasville, in an area known for trophy whitetail bucks, great turkey, dove, and small game hunting.
Baldwin County, Alabama, 1304+/-Acres
Marengo County, Alabama, 264+/-Acres
FL Panhandle Listings
Alabama Listings COUNTY
Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Autauga Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Baldwin Barbour Barbour Bibb Blount Blount Blount Blount Blount Bullock Bullock Bullock Butler Butler Butler Butler Calhoun Calhoun Calhoun
ACRES
371 298.55 210 189 160 3636 1995 1339 1304 710 120 62 98.6 233.3 66 60 54 9 4000 167 40 1455.52 395 85.16 77 102 26.91 25
Calhoun Calhoun Chambers Cherokee Chilton Chilton Chilton Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Choctaw Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clarke Clay Clay Clay Clay Clay Cleburne Cleburne Cleburne Cleburne Colbert Colbert
22.5 18 76 2230 221 146 65.4 388 216 100 54 38 526 520 234 220 179 116 80 42 40 38 377 80 57 56.48 36 36
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Colbert Colbert Conecuh Conecuh Conecuh Coosa Coosa Covington Covington Covington Covington Covington Crenshaw Crenshaw Cullman Cullman Dale Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Elmore Escambia
ACRES 1.5 1 80 20 10 151 45 360 331 79 72 61 134 120 876.25 59 96 463.54 140 82.73 64 27 2000 450 342 264 213 671.6
Escambia Etowah Etowah Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Fayette Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Franklin Greene Greene Greene Hale Hale Hale Hale Hale Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson Lamar Lamar
68 275 167.3 232 112 110 90 70 608 563 552 244 165 2100 38 30 150 88 53.2 53 41 633 120 94 65 25 367 192
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Lamar Lamar Lamar Lawrence Lawrence Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Lowndes Macon Macon Macon Macon Macon Madison Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marengo Marion Marion Marion Marion Marion Mobile Mobile
ACRES 160 148 92 80 45 1181 1013 793.5 783 656 2370 930 486 396 163 100 6214 3000 1164 404 264 387 250 168 120 118 1800 308
Mobile Mobile Mobile Monroe Monroe Monroe Monroe Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Morgan Morgan Perry Perry Perry Perry Perry Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pickens Pike Pike Pike Randolph
299.1 260 192 790 298 129 24 858 697 623 469 430 150 76 386 240.75 200 189 90.5 1480 837 450 430 150 160 112 40 407
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Randolph Randolph Randolph Randolph Russell Saint Clair Saint Clair Saint Clair Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Shelby Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Talladega Talladega Talladega Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa Walker Walker
ACRES 329 78 60 52.4 195 68.13 29 10 93 83 80 48 43.56 740 350 188 45.7 36.5 882 537 327 153 120 117 115 80 233 65
Washington Washington Washington Washington Washington Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Wilcox Winston Winston Winston
1261 796 240 160 160 1465 694 660 640 213 265 2.3 1.3
COUNTY
ACRES
Escambia Gulf Holmes Holmes Walton Walton Walton Walton Walton
257 55 188 93 225 188 60 39.75 35
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 5
BEST BETS
BEST BETS FOR MARCH These are our top targets for hunters and fishermen this month! BY WILLIAM KENDY
WHEN IT COMES TO HUNTING IN ALABAMA IN MARCH AND APRIL, IT IS ALL ABOUT TURKEYS. With a turkey population estimated at between 400500,000, Alabama is second only to Texas.
The 2018 “Alabama Turkey Hunting Harvest” report (available online) shows turkey harvests by county. The top counties included Jackson, Barbour, Dallas, Coosa and Pickens and the combined take for all 63 counties totaled 9,623 reported birds but estimates put the kill at 2-3 times that. While hunting pressure, habitat and predation all contribute to turkey kills, so does using the right tools and tactics. See Creating the Best Turkey Hunting Blind and the Choosing the Best Shotgun Sights articles in this issue. Note: While only the “Eastern” turkey subspecies is found in Alabama, Florida is home to the Osceola subspecies. Alabama hunters looking to accomplish the coveted turkey “Grand Slam”, have two of the four birds on the target list within reasonable driving distance.
SURF’S UP
Surf fishing in March on the Bama Gulf Coast is focused on pompano and speckled trout. While everything is dependent on water temperature triggering migration, the delicious, hard fighting pompano takes top billing. The pompano bottom fishing “go-to” natural bait is a sand flea followed by shrimp while the top artificial is a Fishbite. Spoons and pompano jigs work for closer in casting with lighter tackle. See the Fishing Tips article by expert Mathew Isbell for details. In his article, Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout, Captain Richard Rutland outlines what you need to know about gear, tackle, lures, presentations and tactics to enjoy wading in the briny and catch specs. Rutland says that when the water temperature off the beaches hit 68-70 degrees is when the water ́ ‘comes to life”. You will see birds and predator fish working the schools of baitfish and that means great speckled trout action.
SHEEPSHEAD AND COBIA
Mike Thompson in his Coastal Outlook column points out that March is the premier time for catching sheepshead. Mike told me that sheepshead spawn in March and are ravenous for crustaceans, especially oysters and barnacles. Consequently, they are attracted to oil rigs, piers and other structures. If you can scrape the barnacles off the support posts as chum, the sheepshead will come to the table.. Cobia also come into the mix in March and run until late May. They have tough mouths and can weigh upwards of 100 pounds and that means stout tackle. An 8-foot rod with backbone, a 8000 or larger class reel spooled with 30-pound test line, attached to a 60-80-pound leader topped with heavy duty swivels qualify. In terms of baits, live eels are favorites, menhaden, cigar minnows and large shrimp work. Preferred lures are 3-6-inch, 4-6 ounce brightly colored and skirted jigs and whatever else you throw that gets attention. 6 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
VOLUME 24, ISSUE 3 March 2020
PUBLISHED BY: Great Days Outdoors Media, L.L.C. PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Baya ASSISTANT EDITOR: William Kendy CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Wendy Johannesmann ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Samatha Hester
CONTRIBUTING FREELANCE WRITERS: Chris Blankenship Daryl Bell Alex Granpere Craig Haney Charles Johnson Ed Mashburn Doug Max Greg McCain John E. Phillips
Chuck Sykes Mike Thompson David Thornton Jim Barta Jim Mize Deneshia Larson Patric Garmeson Hank Shaw Joe Baya
Don Green Babe Winkelman Bobby Abruscato J. Wayne Fears Nick Williams Tony Kinton Richard Rutland
Great Days Outdoors (USPS 17228; ISSN 1556-0147) is published monthly at P.O. Box 1253 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 Subscription rate is $24 for one-year, $40 for two-years, and $55 for three-years. Periodicals Postage Paid at Mobile, Ala. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 SUBSCRIBERS: All subscriptions begin the first issue for the month following receipt of payment, if payment is received by the 15th. Great Days Outdoors assumes no responsibility for delivery after magazines are mailed. All delivery complaints should be addressed to your local postmaster. CONTACT US: EDITORIAL | JoeBaya@greatdaysoutdoors.com ADVERTISING | SamHester@greatdaysoutdoors.com SUBSCRIPTIONS | greatdaysoutdoors@pcspublink.com Great Days Outdoors Media LLC PO Box 460248 Escondido, CA 92046 877. 314. 1237 info@greatdaysoutdoors.com www.greatdaysoutdoors.com All rights reserved. Reproduction of contents is strictly prohibited without permission from Great Days Outdoors Media, LLC.
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Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout in the Surf BY CAPTAIN RICHARD RUTLAND 8 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Fishing the Gulf beach is absolutely one of my all-time favorite type of fishing As a someone who gets to fish almost every day for a living, when the fish show up on the Gulf beach I just about can’t sleep at night and that’s saying a lot considering my days start at three to four o’clock in the morning most days during the summer months. The really fun part about it is how aggressive the fish can be on the beaches. The most aggressive schools of speckled trout I have ever encountered have always been Gulf beach fish. They will eat almost any type of live bait and an array of different lures. I love fishing both baits but I’m fond of chunking lures at them. Speckled trout are littered all along the Gulf Coast from the 10,000 Islands all the way to the southern tip of Texas. Most of what I’m talking about in this article relates to many different places all along the Northern Gulf Coast. Many years specs show up in about May and will reside on the beaches until about September when the first hints of fall weather start. The beaches will warm up faster than the rest of the surrounding waters but I always start to see them “come to life” when the water temperatures start to reach 68-70 degrees. “Come to life” is a term that I live by when I first start to find fish on the beaches. Finding life in general is a key to success on the Gulf beach and that means looking for schools of bait fish on your bottom machine when cruising, finding birds working in the surf, seeing porpoises feeding and looking for mullet jumping. Most years when approaching late spring and early summer I jump at the opportunity to get on the beaches well before the fish show up. I like to run at a slower speed and really take note of the “lay of the land” and make marks on my GPS to come back in the future to fish. Utilizing your GPS does a couple things for you. I like to start my morning very early and finding a place I am not familiar with in the dark can have its challenges so recorded information makes things easier. It also provides me several location options to fish if other fishermen are in any of the places I marked. I look for points along the beach where there are a series of sand bars with deeper water adjacent. Anytime I find deep water, four to eight feet, next to the beach or next to a sandbar I make a note. On higher water the fish will sometimes be on top of the bars. In lower water I look for them in the deeper water next to a shallow bar. Anytime you can find structure on the beach like wrecks, rocks, bulkheads, pilings and clay/mud lumps are great places to start as well. The main ingredient for me though is always finding big schools of mullet. It doesn’t have to be finger mullet sized bait either, I like to see school of big mullet either jumping or smoking on the surface. In terms of live bait, I really favor live croakers. They are usually very easy to come by at a few bait shops, pulling a small shrimp net, catching them on hook and line or cast netting them. Live Menhaden are very hard to keep alive but also work very well in the surf. For fishing live croakers, I like to use a 7 ½ foot medium power fast to moderate fast action rod and fish a free-lined setup with no weight. I prefer a casting rod with 12 lb. monofilament line with a 4-6-foot section of 15-20lb. fluorocarbon leader with a 1/0 to 2/0 Owner SSW live bait hook. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 9
Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout in the Surf
I like the casting rig because I can easily free spool the reel and let some line out to allow the fish to swallow the bait. When I get a bite, I usually count four to six seconds before setting the hook. We also use spinning setups with 7 ½ foot rods spooled with 1520 lb. braided line with a four-foot section of fluorocarbon leader attached with an improved albright knot. To fish this rig, I make long casts into or around the deeper sides of sandbars. I leave enough slack “belly” in my line to give the fish a chance to swallow the bait before I set the hook but, at the same time, keep enough tension on the line so I can slowly work the retrieve back and know when I get a bite. A typical cast and retrieve is about a one to three minute process. Sometimes, the whole bait will pull out of the fish’s mouth and, if you can be patient enough and pause, most times you will get another bite quickly. While I don’t know if these bites are from the same fish or other fish competitively feeding in the school, it frequently happens.
I want to reiterate that when fishing the beaches for speckled trout, you really need to stay on the move until you get a bite and then slow down. When they quit biting, you need to start moving again until you hit on something else.
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In terms of baiting, I have found that hooking the bait through the top lip/nose of the croaker is the best route. There is a fine line between not hooking it deep enough or hooking it too deep and that will come with experience over time. It is important to note that if you aren’t getting bites relatively quickly you need to be moving. The beach bite is not really one to turn on and off at certain times. If they are chewing you will know it pretty quickly so always be on the move until you get a bite. I said earlier that I prefer to fish lures on the beach mainly due to the amount of water that can be covered in a short amount of time. Sometimes they are only on the live bait and not lures and other times you can catch them better on lures. If I am not getting bites, I am constantly moving down the beach to find the next school of fish. On a lot of my charters I will tell my clients to make sure to keep up with me. Unfortunately, I have found myself 200 yards down the beach experiencing a good bite and hollering for them to come join me for the fun. In the morning I always start out with a topwater lure. If you get lucky and have very calm, quiet and smooth conditions I prefer a smaller topwater like the Rapala Skitter-V. When I have a little more wave action and wind, I throw larger topwaters like my favorite, the Heddon Super Spook. When it comes to color, pink always seems to be a great color 10 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
ENCAPSULATION
Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout in the Surf
The most aggressive schools of speckled trout I have ever encountered have always been Gulf beach fish.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 11
Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout in the Surf
My all-time favorite lure to throw for speckled trout anytime of the year is The Slick Lure.
but a lot of days I throw color out the window because it seems like it doesn’t matter. I like to try and match the color to the water conditions. If it’s a clear day with clean water I go with bright colors and if it’s cloudy or off-color water I go a little darker. Topwater is usually an early morning and low light tactic but I have seen many days when they will chew them up all day. You have to throw it to know what the fish are in the mood for that day. My all-time favorite lure to throw for speckled trout anytime of the year is The Slick Lure. I like this soft plastic jerk bait because of the unbelievable natural action it has in the water and the translucent colors that they carry. I only fish this lure on the Owner Beast 4/0 in the 1/8 ounce weighted hook. The 4/0 hook only comes two ways which is unweighted and weighted 1/8 ounce. I only fish the weighted version year-round. My favorite colors are pink/chartreuse, pearl/chartreuse, goblin, bayou blues, cool beans, and mad mullet. 12 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
With the Slick Lure, I use a medium power fast to extra fast casting rod in about 7-7 ½ ft with a low-profile casting reel spooled with 30 lb. braided line tipped with a 20 lb. fluorocarbon leader. It is critical when attaching a lure to your line that you use a loop knot. My “go to” loop knot is the Lefty Kreh Loop Knot. It’s very strong and easy to tie, but does need to be retied a few times throughout the day to avoid failure from the light teeth that speckled trout have. I try to make long casts to cover as much water as possible while adding two aggressive twitches with a short pause in-between. There is definitely an art to mastering the Slick but once you figure it out it’s truly a game changer. When it comes to setting the hook, I like to come out of my shoes on my hook set. This lure is a large profile with a lot of plastic and you have to overcome that with a big hook set. Once hooked and on the line, you can play the fish back to you with light pressure
Saltwater Wade Fishing Tips for Catching Speckled Trout in the Surf
because of the wide gap in the hook. I always prefer to be in the water wade fishing if possible but sometimes that can be tricky due to the sea state. Wade fishing away from the boat allows you to be stealthy and a bit sneaky in approaching fish or fishy spots. A boat in the water makes a lot of noise and causes water displacement that the fish can feel, especially on the calmer days. When wade fishing you want to park your boat at a minimum of 100 plus yards away from your fishing spot. Make sure you use a good heavy anchor and anchor the boat off the beach a little. It takes no time for the waves or a wind change to blow the boat up on the beach, which leads to calling a buddy to pull you off, not to mention if you have a storm blow up on you quickly. Some gear you want to have while wade fishing is a good belt with a set of pliers, tackle box, extra leader material, braid cutter like the Boomerang tool, a stringer, measuring device (or mark on your rod for minimum and maximum size fish), a small landing net and a good pair of wading shoes. I never get in the water to wade fish without a good pair of wading shoes on. There are too many unknown obstructions on the bottom to worry about and it’s easy to find something to wear on your feet in the water. When fishing from the boat I like to always be on my trolling motor if the conditions are calm enough to do so. Having a Power Pole or anchor feature on your trolling motor is a “must have” to really be effective in setting up on a school of fish and, at the same time, be mindful, when using either, of wave
action, which could push you into shallower water. If you get in too shallow of water on top of a sand bar you can break the motor shaft or torque your Power Pole to the point of failure. I have experienced both of these and it doesn’t make for a fun day. When it’s too rough to use a trolling motor or Power Pole in the surf I break out the anchor. I know this may seem foreign to some but an anchor is a very important part of my equipment on board my vessel. I try to setup the boat to where I can cast on the edges of bars and also into the trough next to the bar. In closing I want to reiterate that when fishing the beaches for speckled trout, you really need to stay on the move until you get a bite and then slow down. When they quit biting, you need to start moving again until you hit on something else. I also always preach long casting and in order to accomplish that and have a great fishing experience, an angler has to have a quality rod matched with a quality reel spooled with quality line and know how to use them. The more water you can cover in the shortest amount of time equates to more successful trips out on the water…and more fun. Captain Richard Rutland Cold Blooded Fishing 251-459-5077 www.coldbloodedfishing.com
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251-433-3696 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 13
utilizing Blinds for tagging out on BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
14 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
GOBBLERS BY CHARLES JOHNSON
Selecting a Pop-Up Blind
Pop-up commercial blinds or natural blinds are an important tool to assist hunters in bagging a gobbler. One of the major factors to terminate a turkey hunt quickly is movement by the hunter. Movement of a hand, tilt of head or shifting of feet can easily be seen by a keen-eyed turkey. This movement can alert the gobbler of some type of danger sending him in the opposite direction. New innovations in pop-up blinds have made it easy for turkey hunters to sit longer and be more comfortable in pursuit of wary gobblers. Blinds can help hide movements and allow turkey callers to move around inside the blind and call without fear of spooking turkeys. With blinds hunters can be more confident in their calling and sit longer while waiting on gobblers to make their final approach. While some turkey hunters may shy away from blinds, pop up blinds are easy to carry in and can be set up in just a few minutes. For some turkey hunters blinds are as important as their shotgun, shells and turkey calls. Many hunters have discovered pop up blinds are an important part in bagging a gobbler.
There are several companies that make quality pop-up blinds for turkey hunting (Ameristep.com and Primos.com) When selecting a blind look for a hub style blind. These style blinds are easy to pop out and allow more elbow and seating room. “Pop-up blinds are great for taking along kids and new hunters”, mentions Johnny Ponder longtime turkey hunter and co-owner of Camp Callers, of Munford, Ala. “Blinds will allow youth hunters to move around some without fear of spooking the turkey.” Lincoln Ala. turkey hunter, Bob Phillips agrees blinds are an excellent addition for helping youth hunters getting involved in turkey hunting. According to Phillips, turkeys don’t seem to pay any attention to the blind. He’s often had turkeys walk right past the blind without spooking or even notice the blind. Some hunters may “brush-in” the blind, but he has found it is not always necessary in most hunting situations. When selecting a blind for purchase look for blinds that are waterproof, durable and can accommodate at least two to three people. A good starting size is a 60-inch square footprint with a 66-inch center height. This gives plenty of room for hunters with chairs and other gear and allows tall hunters to stand up and stretch. Advantages of pop-up blinds are that they are lightweight to carry and are simple to set up. Along with concealment of movement they also provide protection from the elements be it sun, wind or rain during a hunt. On cold days a portable heater can be taken along in order to knock off the chill inside the blind.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 15
Utilizing Blinds for Tagging Out on Gobblers
THE RESULTS OF UTILIZING A POP-UP BLIND ON A SPRING TURKEY HUNT. HUNTERS CAN WAIT OUT A GOBBLER ON A LONG MORNING.
16 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Utilizing Blinds for Tagging Out on Gobblers
Hunters should clear out brush, limbs, dry leaves or other objects that could make noise while moving feet inside the blind. Also hunters should wear dark camo or black jackets to help eliminate their silhouette inside the blind. Keep windows open a small amount to minimize the light entering the blind because turkeys may be able to detect movement inside the bind with extra light entering. When approaching the blind in the pre-dawn darkness it is wise to carry a small flashlight or headlamp to assist in getting into position inside the blind. Since most windows use Velcro, open windows and adjust opening prior to beginning the turkey calling sequence. Select a comfortable chair with arms like a directors’ chair. The arms give more comfort and a rigid shooting position.
Selecting a Blind Location
“Using binoculars, I’ll scout fields or open areas ahead of turkey season to determine where turkeys are entering the field”, Phillips advised. “This will give me an idea of where to set up my blind.” Some locations Phillips chooses for blind set-up are back corners of fields where hedgerows and wood-lines intersect. Also, areas where pines and hardwoods join can be productive. Blinds can be tucked back into the wood-line at the very edge of the opening or in a food plot. Pop-up blinds can be set up almost anywhere turkeys can travel. Some hunters have set up in old logging roads and remote roads on hunting clubs where gobblers may frequent. Turkey hunters
should scout dirt access roads for tracks and wing strutting marks. This can help determine another location for blind set up. When setting up pop-up blinds make certain windows in the blind are positioned in the direction turkeys are most likely to approach. Most blinds have several windows and blinds can be pivoted in order for windows to be in an optimal shooting position. Once blind is in position always make sure to stake down corners and center portion of blinds to secure the blind. This allows for easier opening of doors and windows. This is added security to avoid flopping of fabric in wind or rain that could spook a turkey.
Calling from a Blind
The soft sides of the pop-up blinds do not affect the calling notes from turkey calls. Call as you normally would in open woods or fields. “Because of the comfort and concealment turkey hunters tend to call too much in blinds” Phillips mentioned. “Only call as much as needed depending on the gobbler’s response.” Hunters should listen and watch closely for an approaching gobbler and apply only enough calling techniques to lure in the gobbler. Even in the bind less calling is more effective. Phillips advises once the gobbler has responded to the call, he knows your position and additional calling is not required. Allow the gobbler time to respond and to approach.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 17
Utilizing Blinds for Tagging Out on Gobblers
TUCK BLINDS BACK INSIDE WOOD LINE OR NEAR OTHER BRUSH AND SMALL TREES TO HELP WITH CONCEALMENT.
Creating Natural Blinds
Instead of using pop-up blinds hunters may choose to use limbs and brush to create a natural blind. Small brush tops, trimming bushes, broom straw or other natural objects can be used to create a blind. These can be piled or positioned in front of a large diameter tree. Natural blinds can be designed to use sitting on the ground or with a small chair or stool. Natural blinds should be constructed high enough to conceal the hunter for either seated or shooting over the top. Natural blinds can be designed in a” V” shape so the hunter can be concealed on both sides. Natural blinds are easy to construct using a pair of small limb snippers for trimming off brush and limbs. Hunters may want to construct natural blinds a couple of weeks prior to opening day. As the season progresses natural blinds may need to be spruced up or enhanced for optimum coverage. Natural blind locations are similar to other locations turkeys may approach such as corners of green fields, hardwood pine intersections or the edge of old logging roads. Hunters should make certain natural blinds locations allow for shooting positions from any direction turkeys may approach. Pop-up blinds and natural blinds are a tool to enhance a hunter’s experience and to complete your gobbler tags for the spring season. They are not a magical potion. Calling techniques and woodsmanship are still required to get your turkey into range.
18 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
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Fish Fillet Table Plans for
Boats, Docks, and Portability
BY JOE BAYA
I’ve done it on a truck tailgate. I’ve done it on my boat. I’ve done it on the beach, on my dock, and even on the kitchen counter. Get your mind out of the gutter. You never know where you’ll end up cleaning fish and, for this reason, fish cleaning table manufacturers have come up with a plethora of fish fillet table plans to fill every need. Sometimes you need a portable fish cleaning table, other times you need a fish cleaning table for boat fillet jobs, and, if you’re lucky you’ve got a nice dock mounted fish cleaning table in a shady spot right on the waterfront. Let’s learn what’s on the market today so you’ll be able to choose which one is right for you.
Portable Fish Cleaning Tables
When I think portable, I’m thinking about guys who need to clean fish out in the open. You could be setting up to clean fish on a camping trip or cleaning fish in your backyard, but either way you need a table that is light and doesn’t take much room. With these two needs in mind, here are your two main options. Folding Fish Cleaning Tables like the Coldcreek Outfitters Ultimate Fillet Station with Faucet can be found at Academy Sports and Outdoors. Folding tables are ideal for RV’s and guys who are travelling to do their fishing. The Ultimate Filet Station folds down for easy storage but for some guys this is still too big. For those anglers who just want to knock out a few fillets on the tailgate of their truck or on the beach and want to cut down on even more storage, check out the fish cleaning table top (photo below) for the Yeti Tundra from Mangrove Marine.
This fish cleaning table top bolts to the cooler so it won’t slide off and it has sides and drain ports so your fish won’t go anywhere and fillets can be sprayed off with ease.
20 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Coldcreek Outfitters Ultimate Fillet Station with Faucet
Fish Fillet Tables for Boat Fillet Jobs
You could take either of the portable fish fillet tables and use them on your boat, but the folding version won’t be stable if the boat moves and it will take up precious space. The cooler top fillet table will require you to bend over making for a very uncomfortable session in the slime. If you’re finding yourself in need of a pupose-built fish fillet table for your boat, try a rod holder fillet table like the one pictured below from Magma. There are a multitude of rod holder fish fillet table plans available to fit applications from bait cutting all the way to heavy duty fish cleaning.
FISHING
Dock Mounted Fish Cleaning Tables
If you’re cleaning fish, more often than not you’ve departed and returned to a dock. That brings us to our last type of fish fillet table, the dock mounted fish cleaning station. Now we’ve all used the build your own type. Typically it’s an amalgamation of scavenged wood, usually splintered, and some type of cutting surface, often plywood. The problem with these “build your own” types is that there’s often warping, cracking, and typically an odor from the previous angler’s efforts (or lack thereof) to clean the table off when he was finished. For a dock mounted fish fillet table that is really well thought out, you really need to check out Killerdock. They make several different types of ceramic coated marine grade aluminum fish fillet tables that are just as good as stainless steel fish cleaning tables. An Alabama based company started in 2018, Killerdock been selling like hotcakes. Their motto is “The best fish cleaning stations known to mankind, and here’s why:
Drainage:
Water, slime, scales, and blood all drain through the patented legs and directly into the water. This results in a much cleaner fish filleting experience.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 21
Fish Fillet Table Plans for Boats, Docks, and Portability
Shade:
Killerdock has 3 main fish fillet table types and each can be equipped with a canopy to keep your skin cool and free from sunburn.
HOG RUSH “THERE WILL BE BLOOD”
Appearance and Design:
With table configurations from five to eight feet wide and custom designs by request, there is a fish fillet table that will certainly meet your needs. More than just functional, Killerdock is striving to create fish cleaning stations that are beautiful as well. Something you’ll want to show off just like your boat or your house. Cleaning fish can be a hassle, making you messy, tired and frustrated. It can also be time well spent with friends enjoying the fruits of a day’s labor on the water. So whether you do it on your dock, on the beach, in the boat, or in the bed of your truck, there is a fish fillet table that will work for you.
THERMAL NIGHT
HUNTS
IN ALABAMA
334-430-8111
www.HOGRUSH.com 22 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Fish Fillet Table Plans for Boats, Docks, and Portability
Important contact information for these manufacturer’s is below: Academy Sports and Outdoors www.academy.com/shop/browse/tables tel:(888)-922-2336
Magma magmaproducts.com/boat-mounted-tables tel:(562)- 627-0500
Yeti Tundra from Mangrove Marine mangrovemarine.com/yeti-tundra-standard-cooler-top-bait-station/ tel:(727)-515-8501
Killerdock www.killerdock.com tel:(251) 207-1743
Show Your Support for Alabama’s Coastal Fishing & Marine Resources. All proceeds from your TAX DEDUCTIBLE purchase are used for marine conservation in Coastal Alabama.
For more info on the events or CCA Alabama www.ccaalabama.org 251-478-3474 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 23
Tactics That Catch
Spawning Crappie BY JOHN E. PHILLIPS
TO TURN A YOUNGSTER INTO A LIFETIME FISHING BUDDY, TAKE THAT YOUNGSTER TO A CRAPPIE HOT SPOT DURING MARCH.
24 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Crappie anglers who fish for spawning crappie swear by gorilla tactics, others use light line, and little jigs, while others shoot docks and use other strategies. Bernie Spindle of Birmingham, Al. has been fishing the Warrior River for approximately four decades and is considered an authority when it comes to on catching this river’s bass and crappie. “The banks of the Warrior River will look like a parade of boats during the spawn and all the crappie anglers are fishing the same grass beds,” Spidle said. ”To catch the most spawning crappie, fish all the other places you know that contain big spawners where bank fishermen don’t fish.” How to Identify Spawning Crappie You can identify spawning crappie in several ways. You can fish: Light Line and Little Jigs - One of your best clues as to where to fish during the spawn is to simply notice where all the other anglers are fishing. Most crappie fishermen will use 8-12 pound test line to fish with minnows in and around cover. Often, you can fish behind these anglers and catch some of the biggest crappie – ones they have missed – with this tactic. Use a long pole and fish 2-4 pound test line and a 1/32-ounce jig. Take your time and slowly lower that jig into small holes in the cover to delicately put small baits on light lines in places where crappie possibly never have seen a bait before. Once you hook a crappie with this light-line, little-jig tactic, take your time to work the crappie out of the cover. Lead the fish to the boat, and use a dip net to land it. Gorilla-Strong Tactics - Of all the college students I knew at the University of West Alabama in Livingston, Alabama, John Holley of Linden, Alabama, always caught the most and the biggest crappie of the spawn. After I worried Holley nearly to tears to take me crappie fishing with him, he finally agreed, but he insisted I use his equipment. Surprisingly, Holley fished with cane poles and broke the tips off the poles 8- 24 inches from their ends. The poles resembled long pool cues and had that kind of strength, too. He used 20-pound-test monofilament, a large splitshot sinker, a wire hook and a large shiner minnow to fish in the thickest brush and cover he could find along a shoreline. “I fish a heavy lead, so that my bait will go right down between the cover,” Holley explained to me. “I like 20-pound-test line, because as soon as the crappie takes the bait, I can get its head up and pull it out of the cover. I use a stout cane pole to move the crappie through the cover, and then I can hoist it into the boat without it getting tangled in the cover. By using heavy line and a heavy pole, if my hook gets caught in the brush, I can pull hard on the pole and the line, straighten the hook quickly and not spook the other crappie holding in the cover. To catch big crappie during the spawn, use heavy tackle and fish where no one else in his right mind will fish.” Jigs and Corks - When the crappie near shoreline cover spawn, you often can catch them quickly and easily by tying a jig onto the end of a line and putting a cork six inches to three feet up the line, depending on the water depth. Cast the jig and cork in close to stumps, logs and brush. Slowly reel the cork about every two to three feet of the retrieve. After let-
ting the cork sit motionless for a 5 to 10 count, begin your retrieve again. Actively-feeding crappie will attack the jig as it moves. Crappie reluctant to eat will take the jig when the cork stops moving, and the jig looks as though it’s sitting still on the water. Little Creeks - You don’t have to have a boat to catch crappie during the spawn. You can walk the edges of small streams and creeks that tend to warm-up faster than main rivers and lakes and catch plenty of fat, spawning crappie before most anglers even begin to fish for them. Drop live minnows or small jigs into eddy pools behind rocks, logs or any other type of structure that breaks the current. The size and the number of crappie you can catch in these little warm-water creeks and streams during the spawn will surprise you. The Dead Cork Drift - If a cold front hits during the spawn, you may find that numbers of crappie have moved out to deeper cover. The ones that remain near their traditional habitat likely will be reluctant feeders. You can make the crappie bite by giving them baits they can’t resist. Put a slip float on your line, and attach the float stopper six to eight feet up the line, or at whatever depth you want to fish. Cast the cork the and jig out to deep-water cover, and let the cork sit still just as you’ll fish a live minnow. The slightest breeze or ripple will make the marabou tail on this do-nothing rig move under the water – up and down or twitch like a feeding shad. Even a lock-lipped crappie will want to come up and take a bite of that jig when it sits in front of its face and doesn’t try to escape. I’ve let a cork sit still on the water for as long as 4 minutes before a reluctant crappie has attacked my bait. Most often a speckled-side will inhale the jig within the first minutes that it sits still on the water. Docks - During the spring, crappie may spawn so far back under a dock that you can’t cast to them. To solve this problem, use a small, 4-1/2- to 5-foot, light-action spinning rod and four to six-pound test line. Leave about three feet of line hanging down from the end of the rod. Pick up the line closest to the reel with your index finger and hold the line with your finger like you’re preparing to cast. With your other hand, take hold of the jig between your thumb and index finger with the hook pointing away from you. Pull the jig back, so that the rod bends. Aim the rod under the dock, and release the jig. Just as the jig clears the end of the rod, release the line you’re holding with your finger in the other hand. The rod then will shoot the jig under the dock where you can’t cast. Once the jig hits the water, begin a slow, steady retrieve. Learning to shoot a jig may take some practice. But once you learn this technique, you can catch big crappie where most other crappie fishermen can’t fish. Cold Fronts - Many anglers consider the worst day of the spawn as the best day to fish. According to the late Jimmy Dixon of Pleasant Grove, Alabama, “My favorite time to fish the spawn is on the day a cold front hits, the day after that or during the three or four days the cold front re877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 25
Tactics That Catch Spawning Crappie
mains. On those days, either the crappie fishermen have left, or they can’t find the fish, but I know the crappie will be on the first bottom break or a secondary creek channel near the spawning area and will be schooled-up when I find them. So, on those days, I can catch the most crappie in the shortest time than any other time I fish during the spawn.” If the fish have been holding in a cove against the bank before the cold front has hit, you’ll typically locate them there in that same cove but in deeper water. Once you determine the depths where crappie are concentrating during a cold front, head directly to all of your traditional spawningtime hot spots, downsize your offering, and attempt to find that magical holding depth near the spawning grounds. How to Catch Big Spawning Crappie The easiest crappie to catch during the spawn are the ones on the bank. But since everyone fishes for these, to catch the really-big crappie when they spawn, you must use different tactics from everyone else. These three basic methods will catch the very big spawning crappie. * Invisible Tactics - During the spring of the year when the fish bed in shallow water, most anglers will fish for crappie around some type of visible cover like trees, stumps, grass, bushes or logs. Instead, drop-fish down the bank with either minnows or jigs in areas where you don‘t see visible cover in the water and that most other crappie fisherman won‘t fish. The crappie holding on this invisible cover often will bite more aggressively than the crappie concentrating on the cover where everyone else fishes. * Sissy Strategies - When you encounter finicky-biting crappie, oftentimes you can downsize your line and solicit more strikes. If the gorilla
TM
LIL SLICK = BIG
RESULTS
Effectively fished using several techniques including:
Suspended under a rattlin’ cork • Twitch & pause with swimbait hook • Tight lined on a traditional jig head
A versatile lure that is very effective in different water depths and conditions.
theslicklure.com 26 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
tactics don‘t work, go back to that same thick cover, and use four poundtest line. Or, fish with two or four pound-test line in cover no one can see or in areas other anglers already have fished heavily. *Eddie Area Techniques - Although crappie can and will feed in current, these fish generally prefer to lie just off of it and only move out into the current to take bait. Anytime you walk down the bank of a stream, a river or a creek, look for an eddy area with slack water where the current‘s being broken. Often these eddy holes will develop behind trees, logs, boulders, peninsulas of land that jut out into the current, bridges or other types of pilings. The most productive way to fish these regions is with a jig and cork you cast upstream. Then let the current wash your bait downstream and into the eddy hole. The more naturally your bait is presented to the crappie, the more likely the fish will be to hit. Each year crappie migrate up the Warrior River to the base of Lewis Smith Lake Dam in central Alabama. The current runs swift in this tailrace area when hydroelectric power is being generated. However, on either side of the river are creeks and coves just off the current. By standing on the bank at the mouths of these creeks, I can cast upstream and allow the current to wash my bait downstream past the mouth of a cove and into the eddy area inside the cove. Most of the time the crappie will take my jig when it leaves the current and moves into these slack-water regions. Although most crappie anglers fish major rivers and lakes from boats, you still can locate some outstanding papermouth angling from the bank when you fish small streams, little creeks, rocky areas and eddy holes
Tactics That Catch Spawning Crappie
WHEN STAKE BEDS ARE OUT OF THE SHALLOW WATER, MOST OF THE TIME THE CRAPPIE WON’T MOVE AWAY FROM THESE STAKE BEDS BUT WILL HOLD THERE ALL YEAR.
that break the force of the current. Sometimes you‘ll take more and bigger crappie in these places fishing from the bank than you will on the big-water fishing from a boat. *Ideas from Ronnie Capps - Ronnie Capps of Tiptonville, Tennessee, winner of many championship crappie tournaments across the United States, says that, “Near my home, black crappie spawn first each year. The white crappie always seem to wait for 59-degree water temperature before beginning their spawning. I’ve learned that rising water and that 59-degree water temperature means that crappie will move into the more-shallow water to spawn. On stable waters, the male crappie will moveup in the water column to find structure where the females can spawn. “A cold front that moves in during the spawn will bring wind, waves and rain and these are all factors that don’t exist when the weather’s stable. The waves cause baits to jump, which generally may keep crappie in many places from biting. I’m convinced the colder temperatures don’t impact your crappie catching during a cold front as much as the wave action does, since it affects the fisherman’s ability to control the bait. Many anglers believe the crappie spawn only lasts for two weeks, but professionals also have learned that crappie may spawn even up into the summer. The crappie spawn doesn’t happen all at once. I’ve seen some male crappie go on a bed in early March and still be on the nest in early June, with females coming and going to the nest,” Capps said.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 27
Tactics That Catch Spawning Crappie
“When the crappie start their spring migration, moving from deep water, up the creeks and near the spawning flats to prepare for the spawn, here are ways to catch more crappie,” says professional Crappier Kent Driscoll of Nolensville, Tenn. In Summary a) “Fish where the crappie are holding, which requires scouting and looking for fish before you start fishing. I use my depth finder and GPS to locate the crappie. b) “Match your equipment to the style and the technique of crappie fishing you plan to fish. c) “Downsize your baits, depending on the types of conditions you’re fishing. If a cold front’s coming in, the barometer’s going crazy, the area has a full moon, and the crappie don’t want to bite, you’ll have to entice them to bite. Many times you can do this by downsizing your baits. Although I like to use big baits, I may use a jig as small as a 1/48-ounce. d) “Use different types of line. In clear water, you can’t use high-vis blue or green or yellow line. You must fish small, clear line then.” ONCE YOU LOCATE CRAPPIE HOLDING ON UNDISCOVERED SPAWNING PLACES, YOU CAN T AKE YOUR CHILDREN FISHING, AND THEY’LL SPEND MORE TIME CATCHING AND LESS TIME FISHING.
28 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Get out on the water, try some of these spawning crappie strategies this spring, and enjoy Alabama’s great outdoors. To learn more about crappie fishing, check out John E. Phillips’ book, “Crappie: How to Catch Them Spring and Summer,” available in print, kindle and Audible at http://amzn.to/WGaJLT. Or, visit www.amazon.com/author/johnephillips to see all John’s hunting and fishing books.
Recipe and image courtesy of Scott Leysath at The Sporting Chef (www.sportingchef.com)
Sautéed Crappie with Butter Sauce This tasty recipe works just as well with any type of fish that won’t fall apart when you sauté it. If your tomatoes are not home-grown, help them out by slicing them into thick slices and then seasoning with salt, pepper, sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • •
8 - 3-ounce crappie fillets, skin removed 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 5 tablespoons butter chilled 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 lemon juice only 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves 8 slices tomato about 1/4-inch thick 1 avocado sliced into 8 thin slices
Instructions
1.
2.
Combine flour, salt, white pepper and garlic powder in a bowl. Cover fish with flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish and brown on one side, about 3 – 4 minutes. Flip fish over and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove fish. Add wine and lemon juice and stir mixture to combine the remnants of frying. Reduce liquid to just a few tablespoons. Add basil and chilled butter, stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat. Start with 1 slice of tomato on a plate. Top it with 1 piece of fish and then avocado slices. Place a tomato slice over the avocado, then add another piece of fish and then top off with 2 more slices of avocado. Drizzle butter sauce over all…and enjoy. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 29
Spanish Mackerel
Lures BUBBLE RIG FISHING
Even larger sized spanish mackerel fall for the bubble rig.
30 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING
Dense schools of Striped anchovy lends to the nickname “red minnows”.
BY DAVID THORNTON
Seriously, who thinks this stuff up? A great thing about pier fishing is seeing the creativity and ingenuity of numerous shore-based anglers from all over the country at work. They are constantly conspiring and contriving new or easier ways to catch bait and fish. Of all the pier fishing innovations experienced on the gulf beach piers along the Emerald Coast, the bubble rig has got to be one of the most unlikely yet successful. Who would have thought a float intended for fishing quiet trout streams coupled with a fast food plastic drinking straw would practically revolutionize jigging for mackerel in saltwater. Seriously, who thinks this stuff up? Necessity being the “mother of invention” and all, fishing for spanish mackerel is a sport pursued by many thousands of gulf coast anglers through much of the year. Spanish are one of the most available and reliable gamefish pier anglers seek on a regular (daily) basis. And they can be caught by a variety of methods, but none now more widely used.
How And Why It Works (splish/slash/sploosh) To understand the success of this lure, one should appreciate WHY it works. Broad-striped anchovies, and other baitfish smaller than four inches long are the primary food items for spanish mackerel, along with a host of other intermediate sized predators across much of the Gulf of Mexico. Anchovies spend most of their time filter feeding macroscopic zooplankton from warm Gulf waters. They form into large, compact groups called “shoals” for feeding, breeding and protection. Shoals are often 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 31
Spanish Mackerel Lures - Bubble Rig Fishing
Materials needed to make your own bubble rigs.
so tightly packed together the water is discolored by the sheer numbers of individuals. Hence their nickname of “red minnows” pertaining to the dark reddish-brown color of the shoal as it undulates underwater.
Predators like mackerel may “drive” a shoal, usually by pressing them towards the surface from underneath. Once on the surface, fish feeding on anchovies break the shoal into smaller and thinner groups until a few isolated individuals school up and make “a run for it”. These are easy prey for the fast swimming mackerel. Their slashing attacks along the surface make a very characteristic splash which sounds like “SPLOOSH”. This sound travels well underwater, and it attracts more fish to the feeding frenzy until the school of hapless anchovies has been decimated and the last individual is either consumed or escapes the fray. Seabirds often get in on the melee, diving or picking strays from the water. They are often a good indicator of fish feeding on anchovies or other small baitfish.
32 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
The reason the bubble rig is so effective as a lure, is how well it mimics the characteristic splashing sound of feeding intermediate sized predatory fish. It essentially works as a fish call to attract hungry or inquisitive fish toward the surface. Then the lure action entices them into striking. The proper presentation of a bubble rig is to cast it far out, perpendicular to the pier. This is so angler‘s lines don‘t cross each other. As soon as the rig lands on the water, flip the bail (manually) and begin a rhythmic retrieve. Many anglers jerk downward on the rod to impart the action on the bubble that makes it “sploosh”, intermittently. The down size is that much exertion can quickly tire an angler, especially an old one like me. I find it much easier to use the rapid rotation of the reel handle, in a series of single turns with a pause in between, to make the bubble splash. The length of the pause between cranks of the reel handle allows the lure to fall after the splash, giving more time for fish to strike what looks like a wounded baitfish. Using braided line as the main also helps, as it eliminates any stretch, casts farther and the thinner diameter allows for more line capacity and less drag against wind and current. So why isn‘t the bubble rig used all the time? Mainly because spanish mackerel are migratory and likely not even be present in our waters during the cooler months. For the most part, spanish mackerel show up in mid to late March and are available until November before they move to the south. But this lure really doesn‘t become effective in the spring until the water temperature has risen high enough (near 70) to allow the anchovies schools to feed higher in the water column. In the early spring, when
Spanish Mackerel Lures - Bubble Rig Fishing
the water is still cool, spanish mackerel tend to stay deeper. Perhaps they are pursuing squid more at that time, or because the baitfish are not on the surface yet. Anyway, this makes fast sinking lures like jigs and Gotcha plugs much more effective during this time. Not that some spanish can‘t be caught on bubble rigs early in the season, but it just becomes more effective by late spring. Through the summer and into the fall, the bubble is easily THE most efficient lure to target spanish mackerel. And it is not just spanish mackerel that fall to the “Bubblers”. Bluefish, ladyfish (“skipjack”), blue runner (“hardtails”) and a host of other mid-sized predatory fish (mostly jack species collectively called “yellowtails”) are typical bycatch using this rig. At times small king mackerel, Little tunny (“bonita”), and even Blackfin tuna have been hooked and caught on these rigs too!
Buy Or Make Your Own?
The original “Bubble Rigs” appeared in the 1970s. They were homemade and quite rudimentary. It was simply a four inch long weighted styrofoam popping float with a three-foot-long piece of clear heavy monofilament line (30# to 50#) tied to a white crappie fly. Of course, the super sharp teeth of mackerel and bluefish made short work of the light thread used to wrap the jig and even the mono leader. And fish would occasionally even attack the float itself, damaging it or cutting it off. But it was relatively cheap and effective enough, so more anglers became interested in using the rig and improving it.
Next came the “Straw Rig” modification which used a three inch long piece of McDonald‘s plastic drink straw over a #2 treble hook as a lure. These are still available in tackle shops and even some “big box” stores carry them. Though they worked quite well and were very cheap too, they weren‘t very durable either. So, the search was on for something that held up better as the lure. The next great innovation in the evolution of bubble rigs was the widespread use of the clear 2 ½ inch butyrate plastic “Tough Bubbles”. The hollow plastic bubble has a central tapered peg which can be pushed up allowing for water to be introduced and retained within the bubble. By filling the bubble about ¾ full of water it becomes a positively buoyant casting weight which can get the rig out long distances, even into the wind. They don‘t fare well when smacked onto a hard wood or concrete surface though. A cracked plastic bubble will not hold water and is useless. So savvy pier anglers like George “Haywire” Carlton started putting a ring of Shoe Goo along the seam of the bubble to cushion it from or repair such damage. Another great example of pier fisherman ingenuity! The best find of all though may be small diameter surgical rubber tubing, typically used as eyeglass retaining tubes. Tough, durable and available in a variety of bright colors the tubing makes an excellent material for making lures for Bubble Rigs. Sometimes the color makes a lot of difference to the fish, but usually most any highly visible color that contrasts in the water
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457 Dauphin Island Parkway “At the Loop” Mobile, AL 36606 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 33
Spanish Mackerel Lures - Bubble Rig Fishing
attracts fish. Still, anglers may insist a particular color gets more strikes on a given day. You can be the judge of that. The most popular colors are fluorescent orange, fluorescent green, chartreuse and red in that order.
Tweaking The Bubble Rig...
Combining the clear plastic bubble with the brightly colored durable tube lure has revolutionized the sport of spanish mackerel fishing from piers and even beaches. Once the lure on the rig became more durable, nicks and cuts on the monofilament leader became more of a factor to those anglers. A popular improvement is to add a four inch long piece of 27# single strand wire above the treble hook so it just does extend beyond the top of the three inch long piece of tube, and attach it to a medium swivel or just make a haywire twist to tie the heavy mono leader to. This adds protection from the razor-sharp teeth of spanish mackerel and bluefish and greatly increases the longevity of the rig.
There are other helpful modifications to help your bubble rig be even more effective. When gamefish attack their prey, they “key off” on the eyes of that prey item to gauge their approach. You can easily add “eyes” to the tube simply with a black Sharpie or other indelible marker. Another modification is to add two or three BBs or small lead shots inside the plastic bubble. This helps the rig give off high pitched clicks or rattles under water that seem to entice even more fish to investigate the lure. Most recently, we have seen that replacing the tube lure with a small silver Clark spoon or better yet, a three inch long shallow diving plug will, on average, catch larger spanish mackerel. It can be a real value in late summer when undersized or “keychain” spanish mackerel abound. Yet, filling the personal limit of 15 spanish mackerel is often no problem using some variant of the bubble rig.
Catching spanish mackerel became easier with the bubble rig.
One thing for sure, the bubble rig is here to stay as a part of the repertoire for coastal pier anglers targeting spanish mackerel or other medium sized gamefish. Even children, beginners and newbies to pier fishing can appreciate the success of this simple contraption and it’s not just for pier fishing. The bubble rig can be just about as effective while surf casting and wade fishing when targeting hard to reach spanish mackerel, bluefish or other schooling fish from shore. It casts so much farther than any small lure alone will, and it can call up otherwise lethargic or non-feeding fish, even from deeper waters in the trough between the beach and longshore sandbar. If your tackle box or bag doesn‘t contain a bubble rig or two, you are likely missing out some easiest spanish mackerel catching there is! https://www.fishbase.se/summary/1133 http://www.neckz.com/shop.online.php?action=searchresults&pl_option[1]=4
34 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
BY GAHMOMX3
Recipe and image courtesy of allrecipes.com
Broiled Spanish Mackerel Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 5 mins • Total: 15 mins Ingredients
• • • • •
6 3-ounce Spanish mackerel fillets ¼ cup olive oil ½ teaspoon paprika Salt and ground black pepper to taste 12 slices lemon Instructions
1.
2.
3.
Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Lightly grease a baking dish. Rub both sides of each mackerel fillet with olive oil and place with the skin side down into the prepared baking dish. Season each fillet with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Top each fillet with two lemon slices. Bake the fillets under the broiler until the fish just begins to flake, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 35
Byron South’s
Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners BY JOE BAYA
36 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
HUNTING
Taking out invasive coyotes on your property benefits native wildlife populations and is a great way to continue to enjoy the outdoors. If you want to be successful the devil is in the details, so here’s some coyote hunting tips for beginners to get you started. In this article we’ll cover creating the best coyote calling setup, some basic coyote calling tips and choosing the best call for coyote hunting beginners. Boys this age weren’t supposed to be out this time of night, but they are on a mission. With granddad’s shotgun, a spotlight and an old coyote call that “never worked”, the two spend the early night time hours calling into the darkness and periodically shining the creek bed trying to catch a glimpse of those wiley eyes. Much to everyone’s surprise, not long into the calling sequence, a coyote appears in the spotlight no more than 20 yards from the two. The report of the shotgun was followed with a dead coyote and two scared young boys. Meeting grandpa at the house, the boys assumed they would be met with anger. Much to their delight they were met with celebration. Sneaking away was forgotten as grandpa saw one of the sneakiest predators in the wild had been taken off his cattle farm. This was the moment that ignited Byron South’s passion for coyote hunting and calling. Byron South is an expert predator hunter and CEO of Convengent Hunting Systems I recently sat down with Byron on the Huntin’ Land Podcast and asked him to break down some coyote hunting tips for beginners like me.
Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners Creating the Best Coyote Calling Setup
On the subject of the best coyote setup fundamentals, South believes that the first thing you must do is mental. “If you got out of the truck with the knowledge that if that coyote heard you, saw you, or smelled you, he is going to kill you, you will approach your setups a lot differently,” South said. You’ve got to be confident and take it seriously.” In addition to being confident, it’s also important to manage expectations. “For a guy just starting out, the best advice I can give you is not to get frustrated. You aren’t going to kill a coyote every time out.” Aside from the mental aspects, South believes there is one
thing about the best coyote calling setups that is more important than all others. “The wind is the most paramount thing. You’re almost never going to kill a coyote that is downwind of you.” Coyotes have excellent eyesight. When creating the best coyote setup, I asked South how important camouflage is for him. “When you blow that call, everything is looking at you. Camouflage is important but try not to get anything in front of you. We try to get something behind us to more importantly break up our outline. The most important thing is that you are comfortable and still. Try to use your eyes to look around and not your head. Too many guys are moving when the call comes on, don’t turn it on until you are still and ready,” South advised.
Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners Coyote Calling Tips
Now that we’ve got the fundamentals of the best coyote calling setup, let’s understand the basics of coyote calling. I’ve witnessed guys barking, howling, yipping and letting out all manners of dying prey sounds. But which one is best? South says prey sounds are the clear winner. “A big thing nowadays is using coyote vocals, but that is going the way of elk bugling in the 80’s. It was a really romantic thing to bugle in a big ol’ bull elk and it’s exciting to howl in a coyote. I always cast the widest net first, which is your prey sounds. They have the most appeal to the most amount of ears. The more aggressive coyotes will respond to howls better than the more passive ones, but they all like to eat rabbits.” As a novice, I wanted to know what the best Coyote calling sequence to call. Is it better to call “off and on” or use continuous calling? “We leave our calls playing constantly. A lot of guys say that they don’t continuously call because a rabbit doesn’t scream for 15 minutes straight,” South said. “The problem with periodic calling in tighter cover is that when you stop your calling, the coyote is now unsure what happens so he begins to circle downwind to figure out what happened. By constantly playing that sound you give him something to hone in on and you get a lot less coyotes downwind of you.”
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 37
Byron South’s Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners
The authors wife took this coyote, her first, while on a deer hunt. The large male was stalking a button buck.
38 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Byron South’s Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners
One of my biggest struggles with turkey hunting has always been when to abandon a location that I’ve been blind calling from. Too many times I’ve left too early and scared a bird away or heard a bird gobble from my original location. I wondered how long do we need to give a calling setup before we move on to another? South believes that if you don’t have a coyote responding to your calling in about 15 minutes he is history. “You can sit there thirty minutes or an hour and eventually call in a coyote, but we’ve kept really good records over the years and 85 percent of the coyotes we kill in the first 5 minutes. In 15 minutes, If he’s not there he has either figured you out or he is not coming.”
Coyote Hunting Tips for Beginners The Best Call for Coyote Hunting Understanding what sequence to use is important, but what is the best call when coyote hunting for beginners? Byron’s company, Convergent Hunting Solutions makes both electronic calls and mouth calls. I asked him, “What do you believe is the best call for coyote hunting?” His answer was pretty simple.
“I always have a mouth call on me, but if you try to call coyotes for 15 minutes straight, you’ll pass out. This is where the electronic call really shines. Additionally, once a coyote gets to a point that he thinks he should be able to see the rabbit, if he doesn’t see something, a lot of times he’ll veer downwind. That’s where that decoy on top of our bullet call really comes in handy.” Although a coyote may still veer downwind when he sees a decoy, he’ll be doing in well within your sight and gun range, and at this point you own him,” South said. One of the challenges of using a hand call is that you have to keep it in your hands when you’re calling and this can become a problem when you need to take the shot. Convergent has some really cool electronic coyote calls that solve that problem. “Our key product is the Bullet, it connects bluetooth to your phone and our audio library and has a legitimate 100 yard range. We have a mount for your phone that attaches to your picatinny rail and allows you to stay hands free and even film your hunt from your phone. The key to our calls are lithium ion batteries which put out twice the power of AA batteries. This equates to higher sound quality which finishes out more coyotes and brings leery coyotes in,” South concluded. Coyote hunting for beginners can seem like a daunting task. Take these tips to the field with you the next time you can go. Coyote hunting is a great way to enjoy more great days outdoors with your friends and family and help your resident game populations. Stay confident, don’t get frustrated, and most importantly go have some fun.
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877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 39
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BY HANK SHAW Photos by Holly A. Heyser
Poached Turkey Breast with Turkey Gravy Perfectly poaching a wild turkey breast is easy, but you need to know a few tricks before you begin. First, start with meat that is room temperature. This means taking the breast out of the fridge and letting it sit for 30 minutes. Second, quick-cure it by salting the breast heavily on both sides when you take it out; this seasons the meat as it comes to temperature. Third, use good broth. And finally, never, ever, ever let the broth even simmer. You just want it to steam at 155°F to 165°F. If you let this boil or even simmer strongly, the meat will dry out and get tough. Incidentally, if you want a stronger gravy than this one, try my maple bourbon gravy, which I normally serve with duck, but which also works well with turkey. Prep: 30 mins • Cook: 30 mins • Total: 1 hour Ingredients OPTIONAL WING BROTH • 2 turkey wings (both drumette and second digit) • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • Salt • 2 quarts water • 2 bay leaves • 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns • 1 teaspoon dried thyme • 1 teaspoon dried sage, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage 42 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
• • •
1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrot 1/2 cup chopped celery
GRAVY • 3 tablespoons butter • 3 tablespoons flour • 1/2 cup sherry or Madeira • 1 to 1 1/4 cup turkey wing broth • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce • Salt and black pepper to taste TURKEY • 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds skinless turkey breast Instructions If you are making the broth, preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat the turkey wings in the vegetable oil and salt well. Roast in a cast iron frying pan or other oven-proof pan until nicely browned, from 45 minutes to an hour. Put the roasted wings in a pot with all the other ingredients for the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently until the meat wants to fall off the bones. This will take about 90 minutes with a domesticated turkey, longer for wild. You can pick off the meat and eat it later, or you can chop it up and put some in the gravy, too. 2. Once you have the broth made, take the turkey breast out and salt it well. Let it sit on a cutting board for 30 minutes or so to come to room temperature. 3. Bring the broth to a simmer and drop the turkey breast in. The turkey should be submerged by the broth. If it
1.
CAMPHOUSE KITCHEN
4.
5.
is not, add water or chicken stock. Once the turkey is in the broth, move the pot to your weakest burner and turn the heat to its lowest setting. Cover the pot and let it steep in the hot broth for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour if you are using a full half breast. Remember to never let the water simmer! You are looking for a target temperature of 155°F to 165°F. So long as you are in that ballpark, you will not overcook the turkey. Make the gravy while the turkey is poaching. Heat the butter in a small pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the flour and mix well. Cook this, stirring often, until it smells nutty and turns milk-chocolate brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sherry. The mixture will seize up, so slowly stir in 1 cup of the hot broth until the gravy has the consistency of melted ice cream. Add salt, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Turn the heat to low and stir from time to time. If it gets too thick, add a little more broth. To check if the turkey has cooked all the way through, either test it with a meat thermometer -- you want it to read 150°F -- or slice the thickest part and look: You want a blush of pink in the meat. Slice and serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable of your choice. Ladle over lots of gravy!
Wild Turkey Leg Carnitas Let’s face it: Wild turkey legs, wings and, to a lesser extent, thighs can be unbearably tough, and the tendons are often as tough as bone. The answer? Turkey carnitas. Simmering your drumsticks for a long time in fat or broth, then shredding the meat and serving it in a taco or burrito, or in whatever makes you happy.
Prep: 25 mins • Cook: 3 hours • Total: 3 hrs 25 mins Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • •
2 to 4 turkey drumsticks, or 2 turkey thighs 1-quart turkey or chicken stock 1 orange, sliced 1 small onion, sliced 3 cloves garlic, smashed 2 teaspoons dried thyme 2 teaspoons oregano, Mexican if possible 1 small cinnamon stick 3 bay leaves 1/4 cup brown sugar Salt 5 tablespoons lard or olive oil
Instructions 1. Set the turkey in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, and add the turkey stock. Add enough water to cover the turkey, then all the remaining ingredients except for the lard. Bring to a simmer and add salt to taste. Cook gently until tender, anywhere from 90 minutes to 4 hours, depending on whether your turkey is store-bought, or, on the extreme end, an old wild tom. 2. When it is tender, remove the turkey from the pot and let it cool. Shred the meat off the bones and, if using thighs, shred fairly fine -- remember this will be a filling for tacos or burritos. You can store the meat for up to a week at this point. 3. To finish, add the lard to a frying pan and brown the meat as much as you like. I like a mix of soft and crispy, so I lay the meat out in one layer and crisp just one side. Notes: I prefer this in soft tacos, with the traditional accompaniments: limes, onions, maybe a hot sauce or two, roasted chiles and cilantro or parsley. A homemade salsa verde is a great sauce here.
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 43
NEW GEAR BY WILLIAM KENDY
Tri-Star Arms Introduces Trinity Over/Under Shotguns
The Tri-Star Trinity lineup features finely engraved CNC machined steel aluminum receivers matched with deep checkered, oil-finished Turkey walnut stocks and forearms, fiber-optic front sights and five Beretta mobile chokes. Steel frame models come in 12 and 20 gauge with 3-inch chambers, 16 gauge have 2 ¾ inch chambers and all offer either a 26 or 28-inch barrel. Aluminum receiver models have different options. Suggested Retail Price: $685.00 - $700.00 www.tristararms.com
Ghost Trolling Motor
Reliable, rugged and built to last, the new ultra-quiet Lowrance Ghost freshwater trolling motor lets anglers fish longer, run faster and move in closer without spooking fish. Ghost has a revolutionary brushless motor with the most thrust and the longest run time of any trolling motor on the market. With integrated Lowrance sonar options, GPS waypoint anchoring and a three-year warranty, Ghost is the new standard for your trolling motor upgrade. Suggested Retail Price: $2,999.00 www.lowrance.com
Abu-Garcia Revo® SX Low-Profile Casting Reel
When it comes to bait casting reels, Abu-Garcia has consistently been in the front of the pack. The lightweight alloy and carbon Revo® SX features 9 stainless steel ball bearings plus 1 roller, state-of-the-art clutch, drag and brake systems, 24 lbs. of drag, a compact bent handle and star and is available in two different gear ratios for both left and right handed anglers. Suggested Retail Price: $159.99 www.abugarcia.com
Millennium Offers New Turkey Hunting Seats
Millennium’s new turkey hunting seats sport Mossy Oak camo and Comfortmax seat fabric ensuring a quiet and comfortable sit. Both seats have a rugged powder coated aluminum frame for long term durability. The Field Pro features an adjustable seat back for placement in open areas. The “Run N Gun” has an adjustable height and front angle, for setting up on uneven ground or at the base of trees. Suggested Retail Price: $66.99 - $99.99 www.millenniumstands.com.
Burris RT Rifle Scopes Offer Precision and Value
The Burris RT rifle scopes are designed for the precision rifle shooter who wants a quality optic at a reasonable price point. The RT-15 and the RT-25 have a rugged, 20mm nitrogen filled tube and are waterproof, shockproof, fog proof and can handle recoil from any direction. Zero clicks top turrets with side parallax allow shooters to dial in exact holdover and windage. Suggested Retail Price: $599 - $699 www.burrisoptics.com
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NEW GEAR FOR OUTDOORSMEN
Ameristep Care Taker Magnum Blind
Weighing only 14 lbs. the portable and durable Ameristep Care Taker Magnum blind can comfortably house 2-3 hunters. Covered with Mossy Oak Break-Up Country camo, the Magnum offers a Durashell™- Plus fabric shell with a matte finish, and an interior black ShadowGuard™ concealment coating to eliminate silhouettes. The Spider Hub® frame for easy set-up and takedown, a triangular window system, brush-in loops for adding natural foliage and an easy-access zippered door. Suggested Retail Price: $139.99 www.ameristep.com
Barnett Introduces New High Energy Crossbow
The new Barnett TS380 crossbow combines speed, fit and function in a compact, efficient, maneuverable and fast handling package. It’s 201 pounds of draw weight sends an arrow downrange at 380 feet per second. Dressed in a digital gray wrap, the 6.9 pound bow package includes three Picatinny rails, two 20-inch Headhunter™ arrows, a 4x32 multi-reticle scope, lightweight side-mount quiver, rope cocking device, lubrication wax and more. Suggested Retail Price: $549.99 www.barnettcrossbows.com
Evolved 5 Card Draw™ Food Plot Blend
The new Evolved 5 Card Draw™ seed combines oats, wheat, white clover, turnip and chicory. This annual/perennial blend is designed to be eaten, grow back and continuously provide nutrition and build wildlife “hoof traffic” and travel patterns. Each ten-pound bag covers approximately ¼ acre and is best planted in tilled sols with a pH range between 6.0-8.0 in summer through fall. Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 www.evolved.com
Convergent Introduces Bullet HP Bluetooth Game Calling System
The Convergent Bullet HP system can project loud and clear game calls that are stored on your phone, is compatible with hunting apps and can work with Apple and Android phones. It has a working range of up to 300 feet, comes with a Predator Pro App download, internal and rechargeable 10-hour litium-ion battery and a built-in decoy that allows dual directional and erratic movements. Suggested Retail Price: $368.99 www.convergenthunting.com
Sea Striker Pompano Jigs
Sea Striker Pompano Jigs are hand tied incorporating heavy duty nylon thread and a robust saltwater hook. Designed for near shore surf fishing they cast like bullets. The egg-shaped head takes the lure to the bottom and, hoping it off the sandy bottom creates small sand explosions which imitate burrowing sand fleas, which are pompano’s favorite food. The ¼ ounce jigs are available in white and chartreuse. Suggested Retail Price: $6.47 (3-pack) www.seastriker.com
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Alabama’s WMAs Provide Plenty of Turkey-Hunting Opportunities
Growing up on Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast, I developed a deep love for saltwater fishing. A day of blue skies, sparkling saltwater, Gulf breezes and bringing home Alabama Gulf seafood for dinner is a good day! Although many of my friends enjoyed turkey hunting as well, I didn’t fully appreciate the passion that turkey hunters possess for this honored tradition in the state. BY CHRIS BLANKENSHIP Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
That all changed during the spring turkey season in 2018 when Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Director Chuck Sykes introduced me to the cherished outdoor endeavor that resulted in me taking my first wild turkey. For those who have matched wits with Alabama’s wily turkeys for many years, the traditional starting date for turkey season was March 15 for the majority of the state. However, the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board voted to move the opening date to the third Saturday of March to support conservation measures during the breeding cycle.
Please take note: That means the 2020 spring season will not open until March 21 in Zone 1 and Zone 4, which cover all but the northwest corner of the state with a couple of exceptions. Additionally, spring turkey season will be delayed for research purposes on the following wildlife management areas (WMAs): Barbour, James D. Martin/Skyline, Hollins, Oakmulgee, Lowndes, Choccolocco and Perdido River. At those WMAs, the delayed season will run from March 28 to May 3, 2020. Speaking of WMAs, turkey hunters in our state have ample public land to pursue the birds. Of Alabama’s 34 WMAs, 25 of those areas are open to turkey hunting. However, specific rules apply to certain WMAs. For instance, turkey hunting is allowed only until 1 p.m. on the following WMAs: Black Warrior, Coosa, David K. Nelson near Demopolis, Geneva State Forest, Hollins, James D. Martin/Skyline, Little River, Lowndes, Martin Community Hunting Area, W.L. Holland/Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Mulberry Fork, Sam R. Murphy, Oakmulgee, Perdido River, and Upper Delta. I’ve talked to those who pursue birds regularly on public land, and they’ve all given one piece of advice, which is to get away from the beaten paths to find birds that will cooperate. They tell me if you find a gobbling bird close
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FROM THE COMMISSIONER to the road, those turkeys are wise to the shortest-route approach. They may gobble, but they are too smart to come to areas they’ve been called to time and time again. Their recommendation is to get ready to hike into the areas where few hunters tread to find the birds that haven’t been harassed and educated. If you decide to pursue turkeys on one of the WMAs, you will need a big game hunting license, a WMA license and a downloadable map permit of the area you plan to hunt. Go to www.outdooralabama.com/ hunting/wildlife-management-areas for a list of WMAs and maps. On certain WMAs, a daily permit is required before hunting, with “Check In” and “Check Out” information available at the check station or kiosk in that area. That information is found on the map permit. As many turkey enthusiasts know, Alabama is blessed with a significant turkey population. However, biologists and conservation managers are concerned that a downward trend may be developing for turkey numbers throughout the South. Therefore, our task at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is to manage and conserve our state’s valuable wild turkey population. ADCNR uses two data-gathering tools to help with management decisions regarding turkeys. First is the mandatory Game Check requirement that turkeys harvested in Alabama must be reported via the Outdoor AL smartphone app or by visiting www.outdooralabama.com. Using the
smartphone app is by far the easiest way to report the harvest, and the app also retains all of your license information should you be checked by one of our Conservation Enforcement Officers. The second way the public can contribute to the information used to set turkey seasons and bag limits is the Avid Turkey Hunter Survey. Avid turkey hunters who spend a great deal of time in the woods during the season can join the survey team to report turkey sightings and activity. This provides valuable information on statewide and regional trends in gobbling activity, hunter effort, harvest rates, age structure and sex ratios. Combined with the WFF staff’s field surveys, the Avid Turkey Hunter Survey factors into management decisions that will ensure wild turkeys continue to thrive in Alabama. The Full Fans & Sharp Spurs brochure is the compilation of the data collected by wildlife managers and turkey hunters who spend a great deal of time in the turkey woods. Go to www.outdooralabama.com/ turkey-hunting-alabama/turkey-research to download the brochure for the past several years. To participate in the Avid Turkey Hunter Survey, contact WFF at 334242-3469 or send an email to amy.silvano@dcnr.alabama.gov. WFF staff will provide hunters with information about how to complete the survey. Research is always more reliable when more information is available. That is why I want to ask turkey hunters who spend a great deal of time (10 days or more) in the woods to join the Avid Turkey Hunter Survey. We at ADCNR want to be sure we make the best management decisions possible so the Eastern wild turkey will remain one of Alabama’s premier big game species.
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850-832-2238 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 47
Pet Peeves and Blessings
It’s a confusing title, but you’ll understand soon enough. For the past two years, the ideas for my March articles were developed while sitting at the hunting camp over the Christmas and New Year’s break. Last year I couldn’t help but think of all the unnecessary losses of life that occur each year due to people not wearing a safety harness when hunting from tree stands. I guess I spent too much time on social media during this year’s holiday break, and that’s where this idea came from.
BY CHARLES “CHUCK” SYKES Director of the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF)
Social media can be a wonderful tool when used properly. It’s a great way to disseminate timely and factual information. It can be used effectively in times of emergency to save lives. And, it’s a great way to keep up with family and friends. But, as with most things, nothing is 100% positive. Social media can also be used to spread falsehoods and rumor at the speed of light or provide individuals with a platform to speak before they have thought through in detail their argument or comment. We deal with this constantly on our Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Facebook page.
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Very seldom do I post anything on Facebook. Occasionally, I will post a photo of my dog doing something or I’ll share a post from our WFF page, but that’s about it. When I’m bored, I’ll scroll through just to pass the time, which is what I did this year in my down time at the hunting camp. As I looked at posts, I couldn’t help but notice three topics that appeared day after day from hunters around the state. The first topic was “cull” bucks. A hunter would post a photo of a buck with a damaged rack and make a comment like, “I got him out of the herd before he could breed and pass along these bad genes.” The second topic was small bucks. A hunter would post a photo of a little buck and say, “I know he’s not big, but you can’t eat the horns!” Finally, and most perplexing to me, was the topic of religion. A hunter would post a photo of a buck and say, “The Lord blessed me with another one!” Topic one, “cull” bucks. I could write several articles on this topic alone, but I’ll just highlight a couple of points. It has been scientifically
FROM THE DIRECTOR
proven on multiple occasions that it is impossible to impact the genetics of a free-ranging deer herd by “culling” bucks. Additionally, most of the photos of the “cull” bucks are of either yearling bucks with one 8-inch spike and one 2-inch spike or deer with obvious pedicle damage. Both of these are physical characteristics that have absolutely nothing to do with genetics. The second topic of posting pictures of small bucks is simply perplexing to me. If I was ashamed of doing something, I wouldn’t post about it on social media and try to get approval from people I don’t know. If I was embarrassed or ashamed of shooting a small buck, I wouldn’t tell anyone. I guess the most confusing thing to me is why these hunters are trying to justify or seek approval. I could understand it much more if the post said, “I needed meat for my family, and this is the first deer I had an opportunity to harvest.” The “I know he’s small, but you can’t eat the horns” line is much like the “cull” buck theory; it’s just an excuse to shoot in my opinion. Topic number three, religion. Before I go down this road let me make a few things perfectly clear. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and probably sin on a daily basis. However, I continue to strive to be a better person and follow the principles of the Bible. So, when I see a photo of someone holding a dead deer and the post says, “The Lord blessed me with a good un this morning,” it just bothers me. I guess to me, that reduces the majestic to the mundane. Now, I’m definitely not a theologian, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine the Lord God taking time to make sure one of his creations walks by someone with a rifle sitting in a tree. I just don’t feel like that is high on “His to-do” list. If the post said, “The Lord blessed me by allowing me to wake up and be healthy enough to climb a tree and admire His creation this morning,” I’d give a hearty “Amen” because I can’t think of a more appropriate place to see the handiwork of God than sitting in a tree watching the woods wake up. But maybe I’m just not understanding the mindset of those hunters; maybe they’re simply aiming to give thanks “in all things.” I understand that social media is a necessary evil these days and I should learn to deal with both its good and bad aspects. So, I’m done with that part of the article, and I would like to now tell you what “the Lord blessed me with”: I was blessed to be raised by a loving mother and father. I was blessed to have been given every opportunity to succeed in life by my parents. I was blessed that they took me to church as a child and taught me right from wrong and that hard work, patience and perseverance will pay off. I was reminded of many of these blessings this past Christmas. I have been hunting on our family land in Choctaw County since I was 6 years old. My father began planting a 4-acre plot on the farm in 1976, long before food plots were the rage of the hunting industry. I planted that same plot Thanksgiving Day with him this year. Some of my fondest memories have been made hunting on that property with my father over the years. He and I have hunted together in that food plot at least once a year for the past 43 years. And, on Christmas Day, the Lord blessed me, not only by allowing me to harvest a doe, but much more by giving me and my father the ability to share one more experience together. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 49
TURKEY GUN OPTICS:
SCOPES OR RED DOT?
Selecting the right turkey hunting optic depends on a confluence of factors.
I can’t be as hard headed as my wife thinks I am, but every now and then I really start wondering about myself, which of course, I don’t mention to my bride. If I did mention it to her, it would come back to haunt in more ways than I can think of.
BY CRAIG HANEY Photo submitted by Craig Haney
This line of thought came about earlier this year as I started thinking about turkey season. Truth be known, the last several years I’ve had trouble with the gold bead sights on my shotgun which I’m sure is due to my deteriorating vision that I won’t admit too. After all, I still tie flies so my vision must still be pretty good. LOL. So for 2020, I’m admitting that, in terms of shooting with gold bead sights on my shotgun I’m hopeless, so it’s time to take a look at shotgun optics to improve my hunting.
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WHAT IS THE RIGHT OPTIC FOR YOUR TURKEY GUN? There are plenty of options and it can be quite confusing to any hunter. If you are a hunter with either a scope or red dot on your turkey gun you probably think your choice of optic is what everybody should use but it might not be the best choice for your buddy. The best way to choose an optic is to answer these questions: • • • •
What are my vision limitations? What average distances will I be shooting? Do I hunt mostly in the woods or more open areas with better light conditions? Budget considerations. Determine what you want to invest in a scope or red dot and buy the best you can afford.
THE GUN RACK Answering these questions should help in making the decision on which type of optic you should purchase. RED DOT (HOLOGRAPHIC) Red Dots have been very popular with rifle and shotgun users and are finding favor with shotgun hunters as well. One advantage of the Red Dot optic is the ability to make a more precise shot. When ol’Tom comes into range and we are excited, our attention may be totally on the gobbler and we forget about the bead sight and we miss the turkey. Using a Red Dot optic, the dot comes into view as we focus on the bird increasing our chances for a turkey dinner. Another advantage of the Red Dot optic is that it performs better in the deep woods or pop-up blind than a bead sight or fiber optic. Light is less available in the more wooded areas and there may not be enough light to effectively use your bead sight or fiber optic. The bright dot of the Red Dot optic can save the day. Also, the eye relief is very generous so you don’t have to worry banging your forehead or eye with the scope tube when shooting max turkey loads. A side benefit is that you don’t have to explain to your hunting buddies how you got the cut or bruise over your eye. Red Dot sight technology has really advanced in the last few years. An excellent example is the Holosun HS510C featuring the Multiple Reticle System of a circle dot, a 2 MOA dot and a 65 MOA dot giving the hunter a choice of what’s best in a given situation. The Holosun also features a versatile range
of intensity for the red, green and gold reticles as well as up to 50,000 hours battery life. The 1X multi-coated lens ensures brightness and clarity for the user. For more information, go online at www.Holosun.com SCOPES Many hunters hunt areas where longer shots, past 40 yards, are not uncommon and the magnification can be a decided advantage in judging birds. Turkey hunters who also hunt deer with rifles should have no problem getting accustomed to a scope on their shotgun. If you decide to use a scope, it is better to choose a model specifically designed for turkey hunting. Shotgun scopes feature variable magnification, brighter sight picture and are built to withstand heavy shotgun recoil. Additionally they use reticles designed for turkey hunting which is an advantage over a regular scope. The Weaver Kaspa 1-4x20 turkey scope is an excellent example of a turkey scope. It’s 30mm camo one piece tube and fully multi-coated lens system enables bright viewing during low light. The Kaspa is also nitrogen purged for fog free viewing on damp or rainy days. In addition, Weaver uses a “Vertical Zone Turkey” reticle in the scope to provide the best sight picture for the hunter. Weaveroptics.com No matter whether you choose a red dot sight or a scope for your turkey gun, I truly believe that you will become a better turkey hunter.
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4500 Hwy. 77 · Southside, AL 35907 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 51
Pier & Shore Fishing Outlook
Matthew Lightcap with a nice over-slot redfish caught from the beach in March.
Taking the kids, or grandkids fishing this month would be a great Spring Break adventure. The weather in March can exhibit quite a bit of variation. Winter is like one minute and spring like the next. But whatever nature dishes out for the Emerald Coast this month, savvy fishermen will adjust in order to be successful.
BY DAVID THORNTON Photos by David Thornton
The species options increase with the arrival of spanish mackerel schools, usually around mid-month. This occurs when the days get longer, and water temperature is sustained above 65 degrees for long enough to trigger their migration from west central Florida waters. Coincidentally, numbers of pompano increase in the surfzone and sheepshead begin their annual spawning rituals. Often the weather of the day (or hour) will dictate what species and tactics anglers should pursue to ensure their best chance of catching fish.
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Looking ahead to get an idea of weather and water conditions will bode well for anglers intent on getting fish for the table. It does not matter if you like to soak live shrimp for sheepshead, dead shrimp for pompano or plan to jig for spanish mackerel; it will pay dividends to know what to expect. Consulting the beach and weather marine forecast is a good start and monitoring the wind and sea conditions from nearshore buoys will provide more information. Checking beach cams along the coast will give you an even better idea of wind strength and wave size and even water clarity. SO MANY FISH AND SO LITTLE TIME... One good thing about March is the days
FISHING OUTLOOK are getting longer. Not just because Daylight Savings Time starts Sunday March 8th, but mainly because we are nearing the end of winter (Vernal Equinox) on March 19th. More sunshine means warmer water and warmer water means more fish, more active in the water. Sheepshead have been patiently marking their time until water temperature and moon phase combine to trigger their spawn. Once that begins, they are usually easier to catch from the beach piers with live shrimp. They tend to congregate more on the upwind or upcurrent side of the structure, as they meander around it. Clear and calm water often necessitates the use of lighter line and terminal tackle just to get these wary gamefish to bite. All the more reason to have access to a drop net for hauling up the catch which may occasionally exceed six pounds. Pompano are gathering into their prespawn schools in the surfzone, mostly on the eastern side of the beach structures. Female pompano, weighing up to three pounds, attract a coven of attendant, smaller males and the school size grows as the days get longer and the water warmer. Their metabolism increases practically daily, so they eat more and range around the surfzone more in search of prey. That includes whatever invertebrates they can find. Pompano love to eat mole crabs (“sandfleas”), ghost shrimp, coquina clams, small snails, or whatever may resemble these. As a result, pompano are “suckers” not only for fresh dead bait shrimp that for them, may smell good, but any brightly colored objects that may look similar to what they eat. Things like pompano jigs and Fishbites, brightly colored plastic beads or styrofoam floats close to the hook may entice a bite. LATE MARCH IS A GREAT TIME TO BE A POMPANO FISHERMAN FROM THE PIER OR THE BEACH. Spanish mackerel usually arrive “en mass” in the latter half of the month. The first to arrive are lean and very hungry. They will strike most anything small and fast moving deep in the water column but seem to be reluctant to rise to the surface. So small, fast sinking lures like Gotcha plugs or ½ to ¾ ounce white jigs work very well. In fact, many a pompano jig is lost to the razor-sharp teeth of March spanish mackerel. For that reason, anglers targeting spanish should use a 12” to 18” trace of heavy (30# to 50#) clear monofilament line or light wire leader to help prevent cutoffs. Shore anglers rarely get the opportunity to catch these early run spanish mackerel, as they usually stay outside the longshore sandbar. But jetty anglers at St Andrews, Destin or Pensacola and Perdido Pass often encounter them this month.
Breaks” occur sometime during the month of March. One likely possibility is that more anglers than ever before will venture onto the gulf coast beaches this month. Their pursuits of pompano and redfish and whiting (and even speckled trout in Alabama waters) may at times overtax the carrying capacity of a specific location. This is the time to try less explored and more secluded areas to beat the crowds. Locales like Dauphin Island, Alabama which hosts several miles of walkable shoreline to explore and fish. The Baldwin County coast also offers miles of undeveloped beaches around Fort Morgan, and the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge and Gulf State Park venues in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. In Northwest Florida, Escambia County offers undeveloped gulf front beaches along Perdido Key State Park and Johnson’s Beach. Opportunities also exist east of Pensacola Bay along the Fort Pickens peninsula and the Gulf Islands National Seashore into Santa Rosa County to Navarre Beach. And that’s not counting many more venues farther east in the Panhandle all the way to Cape San Blas and beyond. So, taking the kids, or grandkids fishing this month could be a great spring break adventure. With so many venues still available to pursue many more fish in March, anglers of the north central Gulf of Mexico “Emerald Coast” can enjoy a plethora of opportunity and warmer weather as they spend their great days outdoors! https://www.alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park/fishing-andeducation-pier https://navarrebeachpier.com/ http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com/
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SAVINGS AND SERVICE THAT WILL FLOAT YOUR BOAT
FEWER VENUES AVAILABLE THIS YEAR! The timing could not be worse to affect early springtime fishing, but the Gulf State Park Pier is slated to close for several months late this winter. Additionally, Navarre Beach Pier is in negotiation to be redecked early in 2020. Both piers are now over 10 years old and the treated pine lumber used as decking material has just not held up to the elements of sun and rain and salt spray. These displaced anglers will want to fish somewhere this month, so the pier fishing situation may well resemble 12 to 15 years ago when more anglers fished at the remaining piers and available beach venues. Certainly, a call ahead will pay you dividends and perhaps avoid disappointment to check out what venues are operational, producing fish, and perhaps be less crowded prior to your available fishing time. This will be an interesting fishing season no matter what. COME ON DOWN, THE WATER IS FINE... Historically, most grade school, high school and college “Spring
Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details.©GEICO & affiliates.©Washington, DC 20076 © 2018 GEICO
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CHOOSING THE BEST KAYAK MOTOR FOR YOUR CRAFT
The Torqueedo system for kayaks is lightweight and easy to use.
I had just landed a very nice slot-size redfish from a shoreline at Grand Isle, Louisiana. It was hot, I was tired, and I was dreading the long distance paddle back to the launch site where my buddy Tim Perkins and I had put in several hours earlier. As Tim approached me, he slowed down, tossed me rope and said, “Hang on, I’ll tow you back.” Now Tim is a friend and an experienced and recognized kayak fisherman, but paddling two kayaks at once is more than friendship should require. But Tim had a secret. Securely attached and rigged to the stern of his kayak was a Torqueedo electric motor designed for use with kayaks. In just a few moments, I was sitting back, enjoying the ride home and thinking about how good that fat redfish was going to taste later when it was cooked on the grill.
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
That electric powered motor was zipping both kayaks along at a good rate of speed and we didn’t have to lift a paddle. I had used electric motors on kayaks before, but I was strongly reminded on this trip back just how effective and efficient these little electric marvels can be for tired kayak anglers.
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ADVANTAGES KAYAK ANGLERS GAIN FROM USING A MOTOR The biggest advantage kayak anglers gain from attaching an electric motor is increased range for their fishing. By using a motor, kayakers can put themselves in many more good fishing spots in a short period of time. Another advantage gained by motor use on kayaks is that anglers who are not strong paddlers can spend a long day on the water fishing and not end up totally worn out and exhausted from the work of paddling. This is especially an advantage for anglers who use their kayaks on big, wind-affected waters like big lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Electric motors are wonderful aids for fishing from a kayak, but they are not perfect fits for every single kayak.
PADDLE FISHING
STANDARD TROLLING MOTORS CAN BE RIGGED TO WORK WITH MOST KAYAKS.
IS MOUNTING A STANDARD TROLLING MOTOR TO A KAYAK AN OPTION? It is very possible to rig and use a standard trolling motor on most kayaks. I’ve done this a number of times on various kayaks. It’s not difficult to rig a simple metal mounting bracket to the stern of most kayaks, and this will provide a secure location to attach the trolling motor. When it comes to rigging a kayak for motor use, the flatter the stern of the kayak is, the easier it will be to rig a trolling motor and its mounting gear. There will be some holes to be drilled in the kayak upper deck and some sealant to insure leaks don’t occur, but it’s certainly not rocket science to rig a kayak for a trolling motor. Of course, the motor is not the only consideration when it comes to rigging a kayak for power. The battery, which is quite heavy for most electric motor systems, must be located and secured in a location where it won’t be a problem for the angler. A 12-volt battery is not a light weight item, and its location in a kayak can greatly affect the balance of the boat. Anglers who choose to rig and use a trolling motor on their kayaks will need to experiment to find the best location for the battery in any particular kayak. Another possible disadvantage of using a traditional trolling motor on a kayak
is that steering the kayak with a standard “clamp-on” trolling motor can involve some awkward twisting and turning of the angler to control the motor. Trolling motor handle extensions can help overcome this difficulty, but in most cases, trolling motors not specifically designed for kayak use will require some twisting and turning on the part of the angler to make the system work. In fact, steering a trolling motor-powered kayak is the biggest consideration to be overcome when rigging a kayak for use with a motor. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MOTORS DESIGNED FOR KAYAKS One of the premier designed specifically for kayak use electric motor systems is the wide range of motors made by Torqueedo. These are truly amazing motors with steering, mounting, and battery systems all made for easy installation and reliable use. And this system is extremely lightweight. A charged Torqueedo battery will propel a kayak and angler all day with no loss of power. Here are some specifics about the Torqueedo motor designed for kayak use. First, it weighs 16 lbs., including the battery. It has up to a 25 mile range on a charge. And finally, the battery can be solar charged anywhere, even on the water when it’s being used.
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Choosing the Best Kayak Motor for Your Craft
We’ve seen the Torqueedo motor in use, and it is a truly amazing product. Perkins prefers the Torqueedo system over all of the others. “The German technology, especially the battery, and the weight factor are just superior,” Perkins added. The downside? It’s not cheap. A kayak angler can expect to pay as much for a Torqueedo system as the kayak itself costs. But for kayak anglers who fish a lot on big water, it’s a system well worth looking at. “I use the Torqueedo system every time I go fishing, and I go fishing 75 to 100 times a year. I fish a lot,” Perkins said. IS A MOTOR RIGHT FOR YOU? Kayak anglers who rig their “yaks” for motor use need to be aware that according to most states, once a kayak is powered by any sort of motor, it must be registered and licensed just like any other watercraft. This is not a big deal, but it is a complication that needs to be kept in mind. Also, if an angler uses the kayak in streams and rivers where
the current is strong and does most of the actual moving of the boat, a motor may be a complication that is not really an advantage. Trolling motors can and will hang up on brush and logs and rocks, and this can present some problems if the kayak is floating strongly down a stream and the motor grabs something below the surface. The cost involved with setting up a kayak for use with an electric motor can be prohibitive. A simple trolling motor with a 12 volt auto battery won’t run much more than a couple of hundred dollars. But a complete designed for kayak use system can cost as much, or more, than the kayak itself cost. Still, many kayak anglers are coming to see an electric motor of some kind as a very good fit for their particular brand of kayak fishing. In general, the farther a kayak angler wants to go on fishing trips and the bigger the water being floated, the more beneficial and effective a motor is. And when a long day of fishing is done and the kayak angler is still a few miles from the launch and take-out spot, pushing that “go” button and steering the kayak home without lifting a paddle can be worth a whole lot of money.
Southern Seed & Feed has a wide range of wildlife feed and seed blends.
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Gulf Coast Fishing Outlook
BY MIKE THOMPSON Photos by Mike Thompson
After a brief, but cold winter season, many coastal anglers are itching to get back on the water and connect with a finny adversary. For others the battle of “man versus fish ‘’ is a year round pursuit. Whatever category you fall into, let’s look at some things to try as March comes roaring in. ALABAMA Inshore anglers along the Bama coast don’t take much of a break from angling, unless they are in the woods or the marsh, so the fishing season never stops. Most redfish action will still be found in the local tidal marshes and rivers. A scented Vudu Shrimp or Gulp! bait dangled under a cork will be good for locating reds. Look for small creeks and drains coming from the salt marsh to bunch up the smaller redfish. If temperatures warm early, the redfish action along the beaches can suddenly ignite! The Sand Island spit as well as the beaches of Gulf Shores can be hot spots for bruiser reds. A copper or gold spoon will entice the roaming redfish. There will still be whiting and a few pompanos along the beaches as well. A small section of dead shrimp, just large enough to hide your small hook is effective. Fishbite strips also will interest both whiting and pompano. Try different colors to see which ones the fish prefer. March is truly a wondrous month for catching nice sheepshead around structure. Most fish will hang around 58 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Redfish will be fine sport for young anglers this month.
the gas rigs off the beach, but if the water is clear you will find them around structure in Mobile Bay and the Perdido jetties. You can put the sheepshead into a frenzy by using a flat shovel to dislodge barnacles on the rig legs. The sheepshead will be attracted to both the smell and meaty insides of the barnacles. Speckled trout will still be in the local rivers in March, but will be found along flats adjacent to river mouths with warm spells becoming frequent. Plastic grubs are almost foolproof at this time Best colors are white, root beer and chartreuse. OFFSHORE March is a great time to make any upgrades to your offshore boat or equipment, including rods and reels. Even so, people who make the effort offshore can be rewarded, according to Ross Hutchisson at Ross’ Rod and Reel in Mobile. “Tuna should still be on the rigs this month. While most people use chunk baits, those able to find live baits do a bit better. Pulling up to a rig and dancing around Sabiki rigs can result in nice catches of hardtails and pinfish that tuna love,” Hutchisson said. For those willing to make the run, deep water dropping can be productive this month. “If you don’t mind burning a little extra fuel, you can catch both scamp and tilefish in 400-600 feet of water. Cut baits
FISHING OUTLOOK and pieces of squid will take both species,” Hutchisson explained. FLORIDA FOCUS The warmer weather of March gets people fired up along the Florida coast. However, fishing excitement goes hand in hand with the excitement of the yearly spring breakers. Besides laying on the beach, many breakers (and parents) are eager to test their fishing skills against coastal opposition. Captain Miles Howell, of Traditions Charters in Perdido Key, gets almost as excited watching the big smiles and grins on the anglers faces. “The middle of March and beyond can provide some very consistent action on both redfish and sheepshead. We target both species with live shrimp on a Carolina rig on the bottom. We concentrate our efforts around the passes and rock jetties. When salinity levels are right, the sheepshead fishing can be fantastic. Besides being a sporty fish, they eat good as well,” Howell said. For very warm March water temperatures, Howell will adjust to target the aggressive reds. “Redfish get very aggressive as waters warm. When that happens, we switch over to plastic grubs and artificial shrimp. The Matrix Shad has become a go to bait for me when targeting these feisty redfish. We still target pilings, rock piles and jetties to locate fish,” Howell explained. At the end of March into early April, Howell will switch over to a type of fishing that provides both thrills and great table fare. “Cobia start running the beaches late in the month. We sight fish for the cobia by tossing live eels or live pinfish ahead of the fish. Some of the cobia can be real nice size during this time period,” Howell said. Howell had this last bit of advice: When the spring breakers are here…so are the fish. Once the water temperature exceeds 65 degrees, get out on the water. Cloudy dreary days don’t matter, as long as the waters are warm,” Howell concluded. MISSISSIPPI March can be a fickle month for inshore fishing in Mississippi. The best way to connect is follow your yearly pattern to locate obliging fish. Captain Lee Windham of Spot On Charters in Gautier is a true believer in doing what has worked in the past to put his charters on fish. “Every trip starts out with throwing a cast net to get some frisky live bait. I’m looking for shrimp, but will be glad to get a live well full of menhaden too. Sheepshead will be numerous during the March spawn, so having stout tackle is a must to handle these fish,” Windham said. Finding fish in March is a s simple as finding structure. Pilings, shell bottom and rock jetties will all hold fish this month. “ As the waters warm, redfish become more active. They will mix in with the sheepshead around the structure. We catch a lot of fish on a Carolina rig, but the reds seem to prefer a bait under a cork,” Windham explained. Catching speckled trout can be real ‘iffy’ unless the waters clear early. Windham will target speckled trout in the marsh along with redfish.
Sheepshead will be hanging around any structure with a barnacle on it in March.
“Towards the end of the month we start hitting the barrier island of Horn and Petit Bois. There are lots of sheepshead out there as well as large black drum. The black drum run in the 10-40 pound range. Quite a tussle!” Windham said. CONCLUSION March fishing can be tough, but by following a game plan to take what the Lord gives you…You can still put a few fish on ice. See you on the water!
Important Contact Information Tradition Charters Captain Miles Howell 850-324-4464 Spot On Charters Captain Lee Windham 601-941-1071 Ross’ Rod and Reel Ross Hutchisson 251-344-9984
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 59
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
BY ED MASHBURN Photos by Ed Mashburn
FLORIDA WATERS
LAKE TALQUIN Buddy Cartwright of Whippoorwill Lodge on Lake Talquin has extensive experience fishing the lake. He advises anglers to visit the lake early in the month for the best shot at the biggest bass as they will be moving on the beds for spawning. These bass will take worms, lizards, and other soft plastics and March is a good time for sight fishing the big girls as they are on the spawning beds. June Bug has been a consistently good color for the March soft plastics.
It’s hard to beat a spinnerbait of any size or color for March bass fishing results.
WAKULLA RIVER Rob Baker owner and of Wilderness Way Kayak Shop in Crawfordville, Fl. coaches anglers to keep in mind that as the water warms, the bass will start moving into shallow water bedding areas and, depending on the water clarity, some good sight fishing for bedding fish can occur. This will be a good time for top water frogs worked over very thick cover. Work a soft-plastic frog slowly and be ready for some violent strikes.
Crappie anglers will find plenty of slabs in the shallows as they continue their spawning, but some of the biggest fish will have moved off the beds and back into more open water. Try trolling creek mouths and deeper creeks with jigs and live minnows.
Plastic worms in watermelon color on Carolina rigs will catch bass near heavy cover. Look for logs and old blowdown treetops, especially in the Wakulla River.
The catfish will still be in deeper water in March, but they will be getting ready to move on the flats and ledges for spawning as the water warms.
For panfish anglers, the bream will be moving into quiet backwaters off the main river channels, and tiny artificials and live crickets and worms will collect a mess of bream in short order.
60 MARCH 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
FISHING OUTLOOK
ALABAMA WATERS
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE Captain Jake Davis from Mid-South Bass Guide Service says bass anglers will have good luck with Rat-L-Traps in the standard Guntersville red colors. Texas-rigged soft plastic will also be very good. Square-bill crank baits will be good bets to cover a lot of water in order to find the best concentrations of bass. Just about every kind of offering made to the bass this month should be good.
According to Davis, fishermen need to look for water warming into the upper 50s or above for actual bedding to begin. When the water temperature hits the low 60s, things should get very good for bass anglers as the bass will go to the shallow bedding areas. Bass anglers should work the staging areas, drop offs and channels near the flats where most of the Guntersville bass go to make their beds for spawning. Crappie anglers should have good results in March by fishing the bigger creeks where the slabs will be getting ready to spawn in April and May. Both small jigs and live minnows worked slowly around deeper structure will be good. SIPSEY FORK Randy Jackson of Riverside Fly Shop points out that this month will see March browns hatching as well as black caddis. Blue wing olives have been hatching all winter, and they will continue into March. Fly hatches can occur anywhere along the run of the Sipsey Fork. Another kind of fly fishing will occur in March as fly anglers throw streamers in white, silver and black top to match the run of threadfin shad. These one to three-inch streamers can attract some of the biggest trout in the river.
I can feel the jig hit rocks. I also throw spinner baits. I like a Talon 3/8 oz spinner bait with double Indiana gold blades. I like chartreuse and white colors,” Pitts said. MOBILE DELTA On the Mobile Delta system, Captain Wayne Miller from the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Services pointed out that while it is not impossible to catch bass in the very high water and fast currents, it can be close. “Everything about fishing the Delta in March is predicated on the river stages. The higher the rivers, say eight feet or higher at the Berry Steam Plant, and you’ll be fishing down around the Causeway because of the very high water.” After the high waters run down, bass will find lots of food coming out of the flooded woods. The bass will bulk up and get really healthy, and this benefit can carry on through the rest of year. In March, the bass will be eating crawfish, and lures need to match this food. Really bright reds and oranges are good choices for crankbaits. Jigs can be very good too. “March is the one time of the year that I get away from my usual advice,” Miller said. “You need to ‘Think small’.” “In early spring we see large crawfish, and the bigger bass will target big crawfish. Use big jigs with trailers, and I will bulk up the size of jigs and crankbaits in the crawfish patterns,” Miller noted. LAKE EUFAULA Hawks Fishing Guide Service Capt. Sam Williams said that Lake Eufaula bass will be in pre-spawn pattern, which means they will be
Riverside Fly Shop will have flies to match all of the hatches and streamers. Riverside also offers guided drift boat trips, wading trips, and striper on the fly trips above the dam in Smith Lake. Anglers who want some fly fishing fun should contact the shop for coastal salt water fly fishing trips to various Gulf Coast locations. FYI...Trout will be stocked monthly at the Sipsey Fork and in the interest of maintaining a quality fishing resource, Riverside has a donation jar where anglers can drop a few dollars in to help defray the cost of the release of three to five pound rainbows into the river. WEISS LAKE ”It’s March- THE time for crappie here,” says well known Weiss Lake crappie fishing expert Captain Lee Pitts. Anglers can fill a big ice chest with fine eating crappie by long-line trolling jigs over open water and then as the month moves on, fast results will come from a jig fished under a float. This rig should be cast over submerged stumps on flats. “Throw it out, and let it sit. Then, move it a foot and let the jig settle back under the float. Keep moving the float and jig a foot at a time. The crappie usually hit the jig as it falls,” Pitts said. Anglers who are crappie fishing on Weiss at this time of year need to think about using light line. Six pound test is good because it allows good lure movement and a more natural presentation. The bass at Weiss are starting to get tight to the shorelines in preparation for bedding. Anglers need to really focus on hard clay and gravel and rock bottom. The bass will be holding on hard bottom structure at this time.
Bass will be getting very active on regional waters in March.
” I cover a lot of water at this time using a Larue Bifflebug on a jighead. 877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 61
Regional Freshwater Fishing Outlook
Important Contact Information Capt. Brian Barton 256-412-0969 Brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com
March is the month for great crappie fishing. Small jigs will work well.
feeding heavily. Smaller crank baits and lipless crank baits fishing in five to seven feet of water should be quite good in March. Anglers need to work creek mouths very hard. Look for water grass which will be starting to grow. On another note, anglers can have some serious fun trolling along drop off and old creek channels for white bass, hybrids, and even some very big stripers in March. White jigs and shad pattern crank baits are good choices for slow trolling for the whites and hybrids. The crappie at Eufaula will be off deep ledges, and as the month goes one, they will move to the tops of drop offs and ledges as they get ready for the big spring spawn. Anglers need to pay attention to the weather. If the weather and water warm sooner than unusually, the crappie may start their spawn earlier than they most often do, which is in April and May. WILSON LAKE In March at Wilson Lake the catfish are getting ready to spawn. Wilson lake fishing expert Captain Brain Barton advises anglers to concentrate near and lake flats and long points. The water between Wilson Lake Shores and McKiernan Creek is a very good region to find these pre-spawn catfish. Catfish hunters should also look for rock and wood cover, and work the bait just above or beside the cover says Barton. Catfish anglers should try cut bait, chicken livers, and live shad if they can be found. Big catfish will be found right below Wilson Dam. Big chunks of shad or
whole shad in deeper holes along bluff walls can lead to success. Use electronics to find holes on the bottom that are five feet or deeper than the surrounding bottom, the bigger cats love these areas. As March moves on, bigger catfish will be moving up in shallower water for spawning. MILLER’S FERRY Joe Dunn, fishing guide and owner of Dunn’s Sports in Thomasville noted that March is all about water temperature triggering spawning. “In March, everything is on the banks in a pre-spawn or actual spawn pattern. When the water gets at 60 degrees, everything will start to happen,” Dunn said. Bass anglers can flip jigs in grass that will be starting to emerge, and chatter baits and spinner baits will also be very good. All lures need to be in some kind of shad pattern since shad are the primary forage for bass. Dunn points out that many anglers will be riding around the lake at this time looking for the right conditions, because the lake doesn’t all have the same water and temperature conditions at the same time. Some bays and sloughs will be warmer and more productive than others. The Miller’s Ferry crappie will be up on the banks by late March, and they will be shallow near wood and grass. Crappie anglers should look for crappie to be just off the banks. Use a cork with a jig a foot or so below the cork. This rig works very well on suspended crappie along the banks at this time. “I like a Southern Pro jig and the color depends on water temperature and clarity. Silvers and blues work well for clear water. Chartreuse, black, and electric chicken are better for stained water conditions,” Dunn said.
62 JANUARY 2020 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // 877.314.1237
Capt. Jake Davis Mid-South Bass Guide Service 615-613-2382 www/midsouthbassguide.com Joe Dunn Dunn’s Sports 334-636-0850 33356 Hwy 43, Thomasville, AL Rob Baker Wilderness Way Kayak Shop 850-877-7200 3152 Shadeville Road Crawfordville, Fl 32327 Whippoorwill Lodge 850-875-2605 fishtalquin@gmail.com Randy Jackson Riverside Fly Shop 17027 Hwy 69 N Jasper, AL 256-287-9582 riversideflyshop.com Captain Wayne Miller Mobile-Tensaw Delta Guide Service 251-455-7404 Millewa12000@yahoo.com Capt. Lee Pitts 256-390-4145 www.pittsoutdoors.com Capt. Sam Williams Hawks Fishing Guide Service 334-355-5057 www.hawksfishingguideservice.com
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Pensacola Motorsports
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PHOTO of the MONTH Logan Webb with largemouth bass caught in Whitfield, AL
Cole Roberts with his largemouth bass
Tony Young Great Days Outdoors columnist took this heavy-antlered 9 point the day after Thanksgiving in Florida.
KID'S CORNER
TROPHY ROOM 1
ST
Deer
Brandon Brake, 14, got a 8 point in Alabama in January.
1
ST
Olivia Cullom, 9, killed her first deer. It was a 5pointer. She harvested this deer while on a SOA youth hunt at Fred T Stimpson WMA
Peyton Hennington , 7 and still slaying.
Deer
Pearsyn Moye, 4, first deer bagged this one in Lowndes Co. AL
1
ST
Buck
Mason, 6, got this 8 point when he went with his great grandpa Jerry in January.
Ryan Sims finally landed his elusive 8pt buck he’s been hunting for five years. He shot him at 150 yards with a 6.5 creedmoor.
1
ST
Deer
Cooper Sullivan, 5, First Deer at Dismukes Hunting Club in Marengo County
Gaines Penney, 10, of Huntsville, Al shot his first Buck (8pt) in January with his Savage Axis .308 in Selma, Al.
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Advertiser Index A-Team Fishing Adventures . . . . . . . . . . 3 ADCNR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Alabama Black Belt Adventures . . . . . . 47 Alabama Farmers CO-OP . . . . . . . . 40-41 Alabama Liquid Fertilizer . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ASWF Podcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Bay County Amory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Bay Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Bluewater Charters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Bluewater Yacht Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Buck’s Island Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Camper City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 CCA Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Clutch Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Coast Safe & Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Deep South Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Dixie Building Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fiber Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 First South Farm Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Fishbites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Flora Bama Fishing Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . 35 Geico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Gulf Shores Orange Beach Tourism . . . 19 Hilton’s Offshore Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Hog Rush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Hydraulic Crane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Killer Dock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 MDH Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Midway Lumber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Mobile Boat Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 National Land Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Paradise Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Pensacola Motor Sports . . . . . . . . . 68-69 Sealy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Slick Lure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Southern Feed & Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Southeastern Pond Management . . . . . 29 Sportsman Marine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Test Calibration Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 War Eagle Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Wildlife Management Solutions . . . . . . . . . 63
FISHING TIP
“Surfing in March” Alabama Style
BY: MATHEW ISBELL Spring is the “Main Event” when it comes to surf fishing along the northern Alabama Gulf Coast. Water temperatures are beginning to warm up and the surf zone starts to fire back with active and hungry life. The headliner of the spring surf show is the mighty pompano and all efforts are to target these delicious and fast swimmers. What really dictates angling success for pompano is the water temperature. Some years we see pompano active and frisky in February, if the temperatures rise quickly enough or even kick off as late as mid-April. In terms of where to fish, early in the run focus on areas that provide structure such as piers and jetties. As the season progresses pompano will be spread out along the beaches. When it comes to tackle, a 10 to 11-foot medium to medium heavy action spinning rod outfitted with a 5000-class spinning reel strung with 20-pound test line fits the bill. While the gear and ability to cast far for fish is important, often pompano will run within 15-20 yards from the beach sand. Using an 8 ½ to 9 ½ foot medium action steelhead rod with a 2000 – 3000 size spinning with 10 lb. braid can provide “up-close” action. To locate the hot zone, use a couple of rod setups to stagger your baits by distance and depth and see what works. I use single drop rigs tied 18-24” from the bottom. Pompano
Fishbites, mostly in shrimp and sandflea flavors, accounted for this group pompano catch in Perdido Key
feed on the bottom but cruise higher and I use floats on some rigs to help keep the bait suspended and others with just a bare (baited of course) hook. When using natural baits like ghost shrimp or sand fleas, colorful floats aren’t required. When using frozen shrimp or Fishbites, the additional color can capture the attention of cruising fish. Mathew Isbell www.BamaBeachBumFishing.com
877.314.1237 // GreatDaysOutdoors.com // MARCH 2020 73
A GREAT DAY OUTDOORS
Justifying the Cost of Your Boat noticed that golfers wear clothes so atrocious that you have to pay extra for the ugly. The shorts alone will scare off bill collectors. Some of these bright plaid patterns seem to charge by the square. These duds have to cost at least $75 a month.
sprinkler. Between innocent bystanders getting hurt...and there are few enough innocents on a golf course...and the physical damage to houses along the course, I’d better keep a lawyer on retainer. Figure at least $50 a month even if I don’t get sued.
Next, I expect the clubs and bag will average another $75 a month, especially when you figure I’ll wrap one around a tree somewhere at least every other week. Something about a game where a high score loses just makes me want to go whack something until I get my money’s worth. Not that I have a temper, but in the right circumstance it can be shorter than most bluegill.
If you’ve been keeping score, the picture should be coming in so clear you’d think you had a satellite dish.
Golf balls sound like a minor expense until you’ve seen me play. I spend so much time pounding balls into the rough that I should probably buy a hunting license to cover the accidental deaths among small animals. Let’s just say that I’m more likely to flush a covey of quail than land on the green. Figure on another $50 a month to supply golf balls and that doesn’t include a satchel to carry them in.
High-tech electronics might have been in the boat budget if I had done this calculation before going shopping.
In effect, all you have to do is prove that whatever you might consider instead of a boat would cost a lot more. Here’s how it works. Let’s assume that I’ve found a nice slightlyused boat that I can acquire for $35,000. At first blush, this sounds like enough money to shipwreck me and the Last National Bank of Bad Debts.
Green fees vary, but $250 a month would be easy to tally up, especially if I pay by the hour instead of the hole. Maybe they would knock off a few dollars since I rarely use the greens.
So, try this Least Cost Alternative method to justify your boat. If anyone has any last minute arguments, remind all those involved just how relaxed you’ll be out on the boat, how good it is for your health, and how much fun it can be entertaining friends. That should convince them.
But let’s compare it to my alternative mode of recreation . . . golf. In my case, golf would cost a lot more and here’s how I prove it. For starters, in my hometown, it costs $10,000 to join the country club. It’s a nice place but they serve imitation crab to keep the costs down. That $10,000 would also cover the down payment on the boat.
Throw in practice-range fees and miscellaneous charges for another $50 each month and the total comes to $575/month, $69 more than our boat payment. And we’re not done.
BY JIM MIZE
Some days, it seems like you can sink cash into a boat faster than you can pump quarters from a slot machine that just paid off. Sure, it’s a hobby, it’s relaxing, and you’ll probably extend your lifespan by at least ten years. But justifying the initial purchase to yourself and your checkbook partner can be harder to swallow than your first raw oyster. I have discovered a technique, however, that lets everyone involved sleep better than a kid in church. I refer to it as the “Least Cost Alternative”.
The local golf pro’s charges for lessons would come to about $75 a month, which is a good deal considering it includes hazard insurance.
How about my psychiatrist? Golf drives me nuttier than Aunt Bea’s fruitcake. I could easily drop a hundred a month on his bill alone.
Now, if I finance the remaining $25,000 at 8% for five years, the monthly payment for the boat runs $506. So if golf is likely to cost more than that, I figure the boat’s a better bargain than Halloween costumes at an afterChristmas sale.
Then there are all the lost bets. Who can hit it the farthest, who can score the lowest, who can find their ball first...you can lose a fortune on things like this. I figure $50 a month would be cheap.
Equipping myself for golf will use up much of this monthly payment. For example, I’ve
And don’t forget my lawyer’s bill. The way I hit the ball, I spray balls like water from a rotating
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Last, there’s the grumpy spouse fee. If I play this much golf and stay in a bad mood as a result, my wife will have to get away. Probably to the mall. To soothe her nerves, I’m sure she would put at least $300 a month on Visa.
By my figures, golf costs $469 a month more than buying a boat. So even if I throw in a slip rental, a few new rods, and insurance, I’ve saved so much on the boat that somebody might owe me money.
If not, threaten to buy a pair of those hideous golf shorts.
JIM MIZE prefers to fish the water hazards rather than playing golf. You can find his awardwinning books of humor at
www.acreektricklesthroughit.com
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